Engleza Intermediari.pdf

Lect. univ. drd. Diana Iulia NASTASIA

FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION

TEXTS AND EXERCISES FOR STUDENTS

Bucuresti 2001

Focus on Communication

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Cadrul general al cursului

Cursul de limba engleză îşi propune să dea studenţilor care urmează cursurile Facultăţii de Comunicare şi Relaţii Publice în sistemul Învăţământ Deschis la Distanţă (IDD) posibilitatea de a învăţa şi exersa situaţii comunicaţionale şi terminologia specifică teoriilor comunicării, de la foarte simplu la complex.

Fiecare curs este conceput în patru părţi, de aproximativ aceeaşi mărime şi importanţă în structura generală. Cea dintâi componentă este una comunicaţională, descriind modelele de conversaţie şi scriere corectă şi politicoasă în limba engleză, de la prezentare până la scrisori oficiale sau interviuri pentru obţinerea unui post, de la modalităţi de concepere a unui articol sau interviu pentru un ziar până la organizarea unor conferinţe de presă. A doua structură cuprinde scheme de bază din gramatica limbii engleze, începând cu verbul, cel mai important şi mai dificil subiect de discutat; fiecare problemă este exemplificată cu exerciţii şi traduceri care vor ajuta studenţii să înţeleagă mai bine partea teoretică. Partea a treia conţine texte de comunicare în care apar noţiuni întâlnite în celelalte cursuri ce vor fi studiate în facultate, texte adaptate după autorii clasici în domeniu despre componentele comunicării, propagandă, presă scrisă şi electronică, relaţii publice, creare de imagine, structura organizaţiei, imaginea politică, imaginea comercială; astfel, studenţii vor învăţa cum se exprimă aceste noţiuni în limba engleză, pentru a putea face comparaţia cu termenii româneşti. A patra componentă a cursului cuprinde exerciţii de vocabular uzual la început pentru ca pe parcurs să evolueze către probleme mai nuanţate şi cât mai apropiate de domeniul comunicării sociale şi al relaţiilor publice. Structura cursului Cursul 1: Communication – Past and Future; Presentation; The Indicative Mood Cursul 2: Propaganda and Persuasion; Making Phone Calls; The Indicative Mood – Simple and Continuous Tenses Cursul 3: Masses or Elites?; Writing letters; Passive Voice Cursul 4: The Power of the Press; Official Phone Calls and Letters; Conditional Clauses Cursul 5: The Newspapers and the Magazines; Commercial Correspondence; The Subjunctive Cursul 6: The Radio and the Television; Searching for a Job; Modal Verbs Cursul 7: Revision


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I. COMMUNICATION – PAST AND FUTURE

A. Presentation People are generally aware that success in one’s life and career depends to a great extent on one’s ability to communicate effectively. Because the first impression one makes is very important, each person has to know certain rules of greeting, of presenting oneself and of having a brief opening conversation. A1. Exchanging words with a new acquaintance. Read the following dialogue and try to write down a similar one taking place between your family and the family of a friend of yours. John Smith : Mr. Brown, you know my wife, Mary, don’t you? Michael Brown : No, I don’t think we have met. I didn’t have the pleasure. Mary Smith : How do you do. It’s an honour for me to meet you, Mr. Brown. Michael Brown : How do you do. The honour is on my side. Now allow me to introduce you to my

family. This is my wife, Angela, and this is my daughter, Jane. Angela Brown : I am delighted to make your acquaintance. Jane Brown : Glad to meet you, madam, sir. Mary Smith : You have such a lovely daughter. Have you already graduated the highschool,

Jane? Jane Brown : Yes, I graduated the highschool last year, and now I am a student. Michael Brown : She studies social communication and public relations. Our child has always

wanted to do something new and interesting, so this field suits her. John Smith : When we were young, we also dreamt of doing the most fantastic things. We also

left our son the freedom of choice and now he studies the art of painting. Angela Brown : This gives me an idea. As Mr. Smith and my husband are colleagues, why don’t

we meet some time at our place to find out more about the plans for future of our children?

Mary Smith : Thank you for your kind invitation, then we shall pay you a visit soon and we hope you will return the visit to us.

A2. Describing a person You are on the beach and you see an empty blanket on which there are a few objects spread around. You look at them and you wonder who is the person that owns these objects. And you are waiting for it to appear… The list of objects is the following: ♦ some chewing-gum ♦ a film ♦ a comb ♦ a belt bag

♦ some car keys ♦ a camera ♦ a picture of two old persons ♦ some sun-tan lotion


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♦ a pair of head-phones ♦ a mirror ♦ a towel ♦ a pencil ♦ a book ♦ a letter


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Now use your imagination: ♦ Is this person a man or a woman? ♦ Where does he/she come from? ♦ How old is he/she? ♦ What is his/her job? ♦ Is he/she married or single? ♦ What is he/she doing at the moment? ♦ What colour are his/her eyes? Try to write a description of this person’s life, as you imagine it. A3. Memories In the following fragment the famous actress Sophia Loren recalls her first meetings with a film director, with the world of movies and, last but not least, with glory. Translate the text, then try to write down several memories about important encounters in your life. They were golden days, the 50s. Vittorio De Sica and Carlo Ponti, my Carlo, were doing a project called The Gold of Naples. De Sica said, “I need a Neapolitan girl”. Carlo told him “I know a girl, she’s called Sofia Scicolone”. I was given the role of the pizzaiola (pizza street vendor). It was 1952. I was 17, and I was completely drunk with happiness. For us Rome was an enchanting place, a city of trams and palaces. I felt like this because I was very young, but there were people 40, 50 years old who felt like me, too, because of what they had gone through during the war. They felt they could afford maybe to start a new life. De Sica was a sensitive man with great instincts and a great sense of humour. We spoke the same language – almost the way as when you’re married a long time and you look at your husband and, with just a glance or a gesture, you know. Then there was Anna Magnani. When De Sica was planning to film Moravia’s new book Two Women, he wanted Magnani to play the mother, and I could play the daughter. When De Sica went to see Magnani, she cocked that hip of hers and said, “No, I can’t play with Sophia. What are we going to do together on the set? We are going to kill each other!” As De Sica was leaving, she cocked that hip again and threw up her chin with that beautifully free-spirited air we all knew so well. “Hah! Why don’t you try to give Sophia the role of the mother?” Well, I did play that role. The mother became younger, and the daughter (played by Eleonora Brown) became a girl of 13. And I never played a role better! A4. Choose one of the following topics and write a dialogue: a. You are strolling downtown. Suddenly you meet an old friend of yours whom you have not seen

since you were in elementary school. You are surprised to learn that he has become a millionaire.

b. You are walking down the street. Suddenly you see a friend in front of you. You run up to him and say hello, but when he turns around you discover that he is a stranger.

c. You are a teacher in the first day of school. Present yourself in front of the class and prompt the conversation with the students.


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B. The Indicative Mood In the exercises and texts above, while presenting characters and introducing people, we used the tenses of the Indicative Mood. We practised present and past, tenses which we have in the Romanian language, too, but also present perfect, which we cannot find in Romanian. B1. Let’s compare the Romanian axis of tenses (which is only one) with the English axes (two of them) and discuss their different logic. How is the Romanian manner? We have a unique axis of tenses, with a main point (prezent) with two derivations, one going up (viitor) and one going down (trecut). Of course, we know there are various kinds of past tense – “perfect simplu”, “perfect compus” and “imperfect” – and they differ from the point of view of usage (the first is informal, colloquial; the second is the most present in written communication; the third involves, in a way, continuity), but they cover the same position in the scheme. There is an intermediate tense which functions between present and future (called “viitor anterior” or “viitor apropiat”), expressing an action in the future taking place before another fact of the future. And there is another relational tense, named “mai mult ca perfect”, which represents an action in the past happening before something else in the past. The Romanian golden rule is that there is no rule: we are allowed to use any two tenses on the axis together, without restrictions. Let us have some examples: - “prezent” in combination with “trecut” : “A spus că vine.” - “trecut” in combination with “viitor” : “A spus că va veni.” - “mai mult ca perfect” in combination with “viitor” : “Spusese că va veni.”

So, the Romanian structure seems to be very permissive, the indicative mood being perceived as a succession of tenses situated in a certain order on a continuous axis. How is the English manner? In English there are two axes, each one with a main tense: the first axis with present tense and the second axis with past tense as the central points. The most important thing is not to pass from one axis to another, because they are parallel, and we know that parallels never meet. So, on the first axis we have a complete structure of future – present – the past of the present tense (present perfect). We also have, like in Romanian, an intermediary tense between present and future, future perfect. - future: subject + shall/will + infinitive (“shall” is used for the 1st person, singular and plural); - future perfect: subject + shall/will + have + 3rd form of the verb (-ed for regular verbs); - present: subject + infinitive (-s/-es for the 3rd person singular); - present perfect: subject + have/has + 3rd form of the verb. Present perfect represents, as we have mentioned above, the past of the present, used because in English it is not permitted to use present linked with the proper past. There are three situations in which present perfect occurs: 1. an action in the past which continues in the present

specific adverbs: always, ever, never, often, rarely, seldom, since, for examples: I have never met a person like you. I haven’t seen him for five years.

2. an action in the past which is very close to the present specific adverbs: just, yet, recently, lately examples: I have just arrived. I have had a lot of work to do recently.


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3. an action in the past whose results can be perceived in the present specific difference from past – example: I lost my pencil yesterday. I have lost my pencil yesterday and I am looking for it now.

On the second axis, we also have a complete structure, symmetrical to that of the first one, composed by future in the past (an action taking place before a past one) – past tense – past perfect (an action in the past taking place after a past one). There is also the intermediary tense between past tense and future in the past, future perfect in the past, rarely used. - future in the past: subject + should/would + infinitive (“should” is used for the 1st person,

singular and plural); - future perfect in the past: subject + should/would + have + 3rd form of the verb; - past: subject + 2nd form of the verb (-ed for regular verbs); - past perfect: subject + had + 3rd form of the verb. Future in the past is a technical tense, it is mechanically used whenever we try to express a future action in a past context. In a translation, whereas in Romanian we need a single axis, in English we need both axes. Example: Spune că va veni. – He says he will come. A spus că va veni. – He said he would come. Past perfect represents in a way the Romanian “mai mult ca perfect”. But the difference is that in Romanian we can use either “trecut” or “mai mult ca perfect”, while in English past perfect has a stronger meaning of anteriority. Examples: “A spus că plouase” is the same with “A spus că a plouat” and is translated into English as “He said it had rained”. “He said it rained” represents two actions taking place in the same time and is translated into Romanian as “A spus că plouă”. The Romanian axis The English axes Viitor Future Future in the Past Viitor anterior Future Perfect Future Perfect in the Past Prezent Present Past Trecut Mai mult ca perfect Present Perfect Past Perfect


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B2. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: a). 1. It (be) for the first time that John and Mary ever (be) so late. 2. It was not until she (say) “yes” that she (wonder) whether she (do) wrong. After all, she really (not know) him. 3. He asked the butler whether he (notice) anything different about his master the previous night. Jackson (reply) that he (notice) nothing of the kind. 4. “How long you (be) with him?” “23 years, Sir. Ever since he (start) to be anything at all”. 5. I told you we (have) guests at 8 o’clock and Mr. Johnson (be) the first and (smoke) a lot of cigarettes. b). Agent Cooper (wake) up at 6 sharp, as he always (do), no matter where he (be) or what he (do) the previous day. His first thought was the realisation that he (wear) the pinstriped suit, and when his eyes (fall) on the reports piled around him, the events of the previous evening (come) back to him. He (go) to his club for supper, just (finish) his turtle soup and (look) forward to the second dish, when his meal rudely (be) interrupted by a call from his superior. Once he (drink) his black coffee, Cooper (think) carefully what to put on. He (see) M. at 9 o’clock that morning and (be) keen on impressing the latter. Glancing at himself in the mirror, it (strike) him that he (put) on weight recently. He (have) to pay more heed to his diet in the future. B3. Translate into English: a). 1. Copiii se joacă în parc în fiecare zi. 2. Duminica trecută am scris câteva scrisori, apoi am ascultat un concert la radio. 3. De când eşti aici? Am venit azi dimineaţă şi de atunci te aştept. 4. - De ce nu porţi ochelarii? – I-am pierdut. 5. Prietenii noştri nu vor veni în vacanţă la noi. b). Acest băiet, care s-a născut acum, e nepotul meu. Pentru că să vedeţi domniile voastre: eu am avut şase fete, dintre care cea mai mare, pe care mă gândeam s-o mărit după ginere-meu, după ce va fi ieşit dascăl, s-a măritat după dascălul din Strântea, a doua s-a măritat după Mitrea lui Buduc, care acum e ctitor la biserică, pe a treia a luat-o ginere-meu, popa din Clădeni, cele două mai mici iată-le aici, iară Mili s-a măritat după ginere-meu, protopopul, şi a născut pe acest copil, care acum e nepotul meu. (Ioan Slavici – Budulea Taichii) B4 .Do the following exercises: a. Write down a funny adventure from your childhood, using the tenses of the past axis. Then

retell the story as if it happened in the present, using the tenses of the present axis. b. Write a telephone conversation you have had with your parents or your grandparents. Then re-

tell the story, using the past axis. C. In the contemporary world, the necessities of life include not only basic supplies, like food or water, but also the deep human need for communication and information. We all communicate or inform ourselves or each other, but few of us try to define the terms or describe the stages of communication or even seriously think about the results of their gestures or sentences. As this handbook has been conceived for the students in social communication and public relations, the first course has to comprise a series of texts and exercises of initiation in the field.


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C1.Please answer the following questions, using your experiences and memories. Try to use, as correct as possible, the tenses of the indicative mood. Pay attention to the differences between the Present Perfect and the Past Tense. a) Do you have a best friend? Do you tell him/her everything? Do you hide anything from

him/her? If so, why? b) Are you an easy communicator or a person who has difficulties in expressing his thoughts and

feelings for the others? Try to list the good and the bad parts of each type. c) Do you like being in a crowd or being lonely? Why? Have you ever felt lonely in a crowd and

crowded with yourself alone? When? d) How is your relationship with your parents? Do you perceive a clash between generations or can

you say that you get along well? e) Could you be a public speaker? Why? Have you ever spoken on behalf of a community (your

class in highschool, your group of students in the faculty)? In what situation? f) Would you like to be a professional spokesman? Why? If you were one, would you like to

impress through the sincerity of your thoughts or through the art of rhetoric you make use of? Explain your option.

C2. Read, translate and comment upon the following text, adding examples for each device or situation: At a general level, communication events involve the following: a source, a process of encoding, a message, a channel, a process of decoding, a receiver, the potential for feedback and the noise. To begin with, the source initiates the process by having a thought or an idea that he or she wishes to transmit to some other entity. Naturally, sources differ in their communication skills. The source may or may not have knowledge about the receiver of the message. Sources can be single individuals, groups, or even organisations. The encoding process refers to the activities that a source goes through to translate thoughts and ideas into a form that may be perceived by the senses. When you have something to say, your brain and your tongue work together to form words and spoken sentences. When you write a letter, your brain and your fingers co-operate to produce patterns of ink or some other substance on paper that can be seen. Encoding in a communication setting can take place once or more times. The message is the actual physical product that the source encodes. When we talk, our speech is the message. Human beings usually have a large number of messages at their disposal, from which they choose to send simple or very complex ones. Messages can be cheap to produce or very expensive. Some messages are more under the control of the receiver than others. Channels refer to the ways in which the message travels to the receiver. Sound waves carry spoken words; light waves carry visual messages. There are natural and artificial channels. Some messages use more than one channel to travel to the receiver. The decoding process is the opposite of the encoding process. It consists of activities that translate or interpret physical messages into a form that has eventual meaning for a receiver. Both humans and machines can be thought of as decoders. Like encoding, decoding can also happen more than once. And, in the same way, some people are better encoders than others. The receiver is the target of the message, its ultimate goal. The receiver can be a single person, a group, an institution or even a large, anonymous collection of people. The receivers of the message


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can be determined by a source or can self-select themselves into the audience. The sender and the receiver can be in each other’s immediate presence or can be separated by space or time. Feedback takes into account the responses of the receiver that shape and alter the subsequent messages of the source. Feedback represents the reversal of the flow of communication.The original source becomes the receiver and the original receiver becomes the new source. There is the positive feedback from the receiver, which encourages the communication behaviour in progress, and there is the negative one, which attempts to change the communication or even to terminate it. Feedback can be immediate or delayed. The last factor to be considered is noise, which is anything that interferes with the delivery of the message. There are three different types of noise: semantic (occuring when different people have different meanings for different words and phrases), mechanical (the fault of the machine that is being used to assist communication) and environmental (from sources of noise that are external to the communication process but interfere with it). As noise increases, message fidelity (how closely the message that is sent resembles the message that is received) goes down. These are the components of the communication process in its simplest and clearest definition. Of course there are other possible, more refined, more complex ways of conceiving communication, as for example, it is difficult to make artistic communication enter these terms. C3. We usually deal with communication between people, developed over centuries of expression, but researchers have pointed out the importance of transmitting messages and expressiveness also in the world of animals. These ones communicate inside their species and sometimes with other species. In this light, read the following text: Our two pet donkeys were reliable watchmen, and their hearing was as sharp as their eyesight. I have seen them many a time look up from the grass they were eating and stare hard into the distance with ears raised; and in a minute or so I would see someone coming down the road towards the beach or observe a figure moving in a field a long way away. When something unusual happened, Fred, the younger animal, would make so much noise that he could be heard in the next village and beyond. Obviously this could be embarrassing when the weather was still, for not everyone enjoys the sound of a donkey in full cry. At night both donkeys were usually silent. They were undisturbed by the wild animals hunting in the fields after dark. They remained sleepily relaxed. Yet I was sure that they would always raise the alarm if there was a stranger about, or some activity which puzzled them. One clear August night, for instance, I was woken up around three in the morning by Fred making a great deal of noise. It was a very quiet night and I immediately thought of all the people in the neighbourhood who might also have been awakened by him. It was a terrible noise, and it went on and on, and so I realised that something very unusual was bothering him. Then he stopped - and I heard voices. On still nights we often heard the voices of the crews of fishing boats passing across the bay, sometimes speaking in French, but they soon faded away into the distance. On this night they did not fade away. And as I lay in bed realising that they had gone on for far too long to belong to a moving boat, I knew that I had to get up and investigate. I pulled on some clothes, went outside, and shone my torch into the field by the cottage where I had put the donkeys. The light shone on Fred who was standing with his head facing towards the sea, ears upright like a V sign, showing such an intense interest in what was mysteriously happening that I felt like saying to him: “Here, take the torch, go and find out what it’s all about.”


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Answer the following questions: 1. Why were the writer’s two donkeys good at keeping watch? A They were dangerous animals. B The noise they made was frightening. C They could hear things a long way away. D They were nervous and excitable. 2. When Fred was disturbed by something unusual he would A sound like a baby crying. B make a very loud noise. C run towards the beach. D stand still for several minutes . 3. When the writer was woken up at 3.00 a.m. he A immediately felt frightened. B thought he ought to wake the neighbours. C shouted at the donkeys to be quiet. D lay in bed and listened for a while. 4. What had alarmed the donkeys that particular August night? A a French fishing boat B wild animals C voices nearby D a strange light C4. Explain the type of noise which led to the following funny miscommunications: a. During the 1985 Christmas season, an 800 (call and win) number was set up so that children

could call Santa Claus and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Unfortunately, the phone lines got crossed and the little toddlers were connected to a Las Vegas bookie who dutifully informed them about the betting line on football games.

b. A leading national shoe company premiered this slogan in 1987: “We’ll only sell you the right shoe”.

c. A Seattle newspaper published a commemoration column in which Diana, Princess of Wales, was referred to as the “Princess of Whales”.

d. When Chevrolet introduced its Nova model in South America they were puzzled by the low sales. Someone then pointed out that “no va” was Spanish for “it doesn’t work”.

e. In 1984 the Coca-Cola company introduced a new advertising campaign to promote a soft drink, Tab. The theme of the campaign was “Let’s taste new Tab”. The commercials on billboards and flies were a success, but on radio and TV people heard “Less taste, new Tab”. The company had to remove the ads at considerable loss.

D. Vocabulary practice. D1. Give the synonyms and the antonyms of the following words: source; encoding; cheap; original; response; noise; to initiate; to enter; to buy; to manage.


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D2. Complete the passage with these words: information technologies accumulation global signals productivity unified structure development worship shape unions revolution competition stabilisation labour survival The human race is on the threshold of a new emerging civilisation: the ……… civilisation. It is an extension and a successor to the agricultural and industrial civilisation that have determined our ………structure until now. Agricultural civilisation was the first to take concrete ………. It was established in fertile alluvial areas in the Middle East from the ………of agricultural production, fact which assured the ………of Homo sapiens and the ………of large amounts of social surplus. The increasing dependence of agricultural productivity on the sun and manual labour had as result the ………of two social aspects: a religion of sun ……… and a system of agricultural slave ……… Industrial ………provided the means by which industrial civilisation flourished. Its origins lay in the natural sciences and the machinery of the industrial ………made this possible. New society systems emerged, with the free ………of private business, comodity markets, parliamentary democracy and labour ………. The monuments of the agricultural civilisation are the pyramids and temples and those of the industrial civilisation are factories and skyscrapers. The information civilisation depends on computer and communication ………, being thus invisible. Its products are ………symbols and images. It is global, it does not take into account soil or city, because it spreads all over the world in ………form. It aims to the mutual understanding and ………thinking of citizens overriding national interests and deepening different cultures. D3. Using the verbs to declare, to proclaim, to pronounce and to state, translate the following sentences into English: a. S.U.A. a declarat război Iugoslaviei. b. Vă declar soţ şi soţie. c. Vă rugăm să declaraţi tot ce ştiţi şi să nu ascundeţi nimic. d. În urma numărării voturilor el a fost declarat preşedinte. e. A fost declarat cel mai bun jucător al turneului. f. Vom declara poziţia noastră presei după pronunţarea sentinţei. g. Aveţi bunuri de declarat la vamă? h. Mă declar cu totul împotriva acestei acţiuni. i. Vreţi să faceţi o declaraţie acum sau după ce v-aţi consultat avocatul? j. Faimoasa Declaraţie de Independenţă a Statelor Unite ale Americii a fost proclamată pe 4 iulie

1776. Remember the following phrases: to declare war; to declare something or somebody to be something; to declare somebody a winner; to issue a declaration; to declare one’s hands (a da cărţile pe faţă); to proclaim a president; to proclaim somebody a traitor; a papal proclamation; to pronounce a judgement/verdict/sentence; to pronounce a statement; to pronounce man and wife; to state one’s opinion/view; to state a case; to make a statement; to state one’s full particulars.


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D4. Write down the nouns deriving from the following verbs: believe; threaten; agree; suggest; express; refer, form, correct, intend, analyse, correspond, lose, promiss, irritate, damage, inherit, decide, declare, insult, sustain.


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II. PROPAGANDA AND PERSUASION

A. Making phone calls The first person to patent an electric telephone in the modern sense was the American inventor Alexander Graham Bell. In 1876, he conceived a device which was capable of transmitting sound vibrations in the form of human speech. The phone is a very useful tool for immediate communication, it can connect you to people who are far away, at the other end of the world, in an instant. But it can also be very frustrating, when you cannot get through to the person you want to talk to. Can you present the advantages and disadvantages of the telephone as a means of communication? A1. To be effective on the phone, both the caller and the person called must have clear objectives, the relevant information and a clear strategy and structure for the call. Pay attention to the steps which must be followed during the conversations on the phone both by the sender and by the receiver and then try to exemplify: - phone communication – caller’s steps - phone communication – the steps taken by the person called

[phone rings]

A2. The following sentences are taken from phone calls. Imagine the reply before or after each of them. Tell which type of conversational strategy they belong to. Establish in which part of the conversation on the phone it appears.

greet switchboard operator

request person called

greet person called

introduce self

explain purpose of call

develop call divided into: point 1 point 2 etc.

summarise confirm follow-up polite formulae say farewell

identify self greet develop call divided into: point 1 point 2 etc.

summarise confirm follow-up polite formulae say farewell


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a. Who’s calling, please? b. Thanks for calling. c. Just a moment, please. I’ll put you through. d. Which extension do you want? e. Oh, I’m sorry. I must have dialled the wrong number. f. Good morning, can I help you? g. Sorry? Can you repeat, please? h. Could we meet some time soon? i. Would morning or afternoon suit you best? j. Sorry, the line is busy.

A3. Translate the following texts and comment upon the reasons why lack of communication becomes humorous: a. A fellow dialled his home telephone number.

“Hello”, he said. “Is that Mrs. Brown?” “Yes”. “This is Jack speaking. I say, dear, will it be all right if I bring home a couple of fellows to dinner?” “Certainly, darling.” “Did you hear what I was saying?” “Yes – you asked if you could bring home a couple of fellows to dinner. Of course you can, dear.” “Sorry, madam”, the fellow said as he was hanging up, “I’ve got the wrong Mrs. Brown”.

b. “Hello, is that the lawyers’ office of Messrs. Smithson, Smithson and Smithson?” “Yes”, a voice replied at the other end, “this is the lawyers’ office of Messrs. Smithson, Smithson and Smithson”. “Can I speak to Mr. Smithson?” “I’m afraid not. Mr. Smithson is away on a business trip”. “Then, perhaps, I could speak to Mr. Smithson?” “I’m sorry, Mr. Smithson is being in court right now”. “Oh, then give me Mr. Smithson”. “This is Mr. Smithson speaking”.

A4. Write dialogues beginning from the following stories, using your past experiences or your imagination in shaping the situation: a. You are at home alone. Suddenly the telephone rings. You pick up the receiver and hear a

strange voice at the other end of the line… b. You know that a friend of yours is very upset because he/she hasn’t passed an important exam

for a scholarship in the United States of America. So you phone him/her to comfort the person. How do you start the conversation and how do you continue it?

c. A slight acquaintance calls you on the phone to invite you at a party. You don’t really like the person, so you have to quickly find good excuses for not going there.


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B. The Indicative Mood – simple and continuous tenses. B1. In the English language the tenses have two aspects, simple and continuous, with different usage and meanings, while in Romanian we have only tenses, without aspect. This is the first difficulty in understanding the English system. The second one is the fact that the features of simple and continuous are different for present, on one hand, and for the other tenses, on the other hand. This is the representation of the structure for the present tenses: - present simple: Subject + Infinitive (+ -s/-es at 3rd person singular); - present continuous: Subject + Be (present) + Verb in –ing form

Present Simple Present Continuous - habitual, repetitive, permanent action in the present (1st axis) adverbs: always, ever, never usually, generally often, rarely, seldom, sometimes every ……… example: I rarely go to concerts.

- momentary actions in the present adverbs: now, at the moment today, tonight this ………. example: I’m going to a concert this evening.

- verbs of human perception (considered permanent) cannot be used in the continuous form and are only simple a. verbs of physical perception see – a vedea – I see a bird. hear – a auzi – I hear a noise. smell, taste – a avea miros/gust – The soup smells wonderful. feel – a simţi – I feel the pain. b. verbs of will: want, wish, desire c. verbs of pleasure: love, hate, like, dislike d. verbs of cognition: understand, trust, believe,

know, think think – a crede – I think I’m right. e. verbs of possession: have, own , possess I have a book. Have you a book? (auxiliary verb)

- the same verbs are used in the continuous form if they change their meaning see – a se vedea cu – I’m seeing the doctor. hear – a afla – I’m hearing the news. smell, taste – a mirosi, a gusta – I’m smelling the soup. feel - a se simţi – I’m not feeling well. think – a se gândi la – I’m thinking of you. non-possessive have I’m having a shower. Do you often have a shower? (normal verb)

- types of action which are always at simple form, although they are momentary, so they should be in the continuous form:

a. comments in the media (radio, TV, written press) – The Prime Minister arrives today.

b. stage directions

- actions which are always at continuous form, although they seem to be in the simple form: those actions which repeat so often in a negative form that they start annoying us example: You are never listening to me!

- present simple instead of future for official programme or schedule

example: The train leaves at 8.00 tomorrow.

- present continuous instead of future for personal programme

example: I’m leaving for the mountains tomorrow.


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For the past tense, the situation is the following: - past simple: Subject + 2nd form of the verb (-ed for regular verbs and 2nd form in the table

for irregular verbs) - past continuous: Subject + Be (past) + Verb –ing Past tense simple represents an action in the past which is momentary or for which duration is not important. Past continuous expresses an action in the past which is durative, progressive, in development from moment 1 to moment 2 in the past. Examples: I read yesterday. I was reading from three to five yesterday. Present simple Permanent action in the present

Present continuous Momentary action in the present

Past simple Momentary action in the past

Past continuous Progressive action in the past

Comparing the types of actions in the table above, we notice that present continuous and past simple are momentary actions and correspond to each other on the two axes, while present simple and past continuous designate longer developments, but in different ways (present simple without expressing a progress and a certain beginning or a certain end of the action, past continuous with marked progression and certain moments on the trajectory). All the other tenses, either on the axis of present or on the axis of past, function in the paradigm of past tense in what concerns the aspects: Future – simple – shall/will + infinitive – non-progressive action in the future He will go on holiday next week. - continuous – shall/will + be + verb –ing – progressive action from m1 to m2 in the future He will be travelling at this time tomorrow. Future in the past – simple – should/would + Infinitive - continuous – should/would + be + V-ing (it functions the same as future simple/continuous, but on the past axis) Present perfect – simple – have + 3rd form – past action related to the present I have just arrived. - continuous – have + been + V-ing – past action continuing in the present I have been working for three hours. Past perfect – simple – had + 3rd form – past action before another past action It had rained before you came.

- continuous –had +been + V-ing – past action continuing towards another past action It had been raining when I came.

B2. Do the following exercises: 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense: a. I (make) cakes. That is why my hands are covered with flour. b.I (not understand) what you (wait) for. c. I am sorry I (not come) to class lately. I (work) late in the evenings for this fortnight. d. I really (enjoy) myself at that moment. e. I (think) to buy a new house last year, during the elections, but I (change) my mind ever since. f. I don’t know what time we (eat), it (depend) when Helen (get) here. g. I supported you at the time because I (feel) you (be) right. h. I (live) here. i. Sorry I (not fix) the plug yet. I (mean) to get round to it, but I just (not find) the time. j. At the meeting Peter (not understand) what (be) decided because too many people (talk) at once.


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2. The sentences below contain one mistake each. Correct it: a. I have once studied the guitar for three years. b. I am here since three o’clock, but nobody has come yet. c. When she arrived, I was waiting for three hours and a half. d. I have seen him three days ago. e. Will you have been having dinner out tonight? f. I knew she will arrive before long. g. I think it’s raining tonight. h. You are hating this party. i. I am seeing a rabbit over there. j. He always forgets people’s names. B3. Translate into English: 1. a). Crede că se comportă foarte frumos. b). Mereu zice că îmi cumpără o rochie nouă. c). De-abia am început să vorbesc că m-a şi întrerupt. d). Obişnuia să cânte când făcea duş, dar asta s-a întâmplat înainte de accident. e). A plouat de la 3 la 5. 2. Era odată un moşneag şi o babă; şi moşneagul avea o fată, şi baba iar o fată. Fata babei era slută, leneşă, ţâfnoasă şi rea la inimă; dar pentru că era fata mamei, se alinta cum s-alintă cioara-n laţ, lăsând tot greul pe fata moşneagului. Fata moşneagului însă era frumoasă, harnică, ascultătoare şi bună la inimă. Dumnezeu o împodobise cu toate darurile cele bune şi frumoase. (…) Cât era ziulica de mare, nu-şi mai strângea picioarele; dintr-o parte venea şi în alta se ducea. (Ion Creangă – Fata babei şi fata moşneagului). B4. Describe the actions you were doing at this time yesterday and those you will be doing at this time tomorrow. C. In a time of global communication, information travels from one place to another with an amazing speed and there is such a large quantity of data in each field that we could get mad if we wanted to know all of them. That is why we have to keep ourselves correctly informed, not through gathering all the pieces of the puzzle, but through knowing the most sincere and open sources. Do we live in a society of manipulation? Is any piece of information a form of propaganda? Can we escape being cheated? These are some of the questions each contemporary conscious man asks himself without being certain about the answer. C1. Do the following exercises: a) Conceive a phone conversation with your parents, in which you try to convince them to send

you some more money for your studies. Then write a letter to them on the same topic. b) How would you persuade your boss to give you a leave, although you have had one for this

year and the others in the office haven’t? c) If you were a teacher, what do you think it would be the best way to convince students that the

things you teach are important for them? d) Which do you think is the most propagandistic type of media? Why? e) Can you give examples of propaganda along the ages, before the contemporary period? f) Do you consider that commercials are good or bad? Are they persuasive or not? Give examples. g) Do you trust politicians? Do you find their discourses convincing? Give examples. h) What do you think about the informative news bulletins on radio, television, in the written

press? Are they realistic?


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C2. Read and translate the following text, try to give examples for each concept: Communication has been defined as a convergence process in which sender and receiver, either through mediated or non-mediated means, create and share information. When the information is used to accomplish a purpose of sharing, explaining or instructing, it is considered informative communication. People seek information when they need to understand their world and once gained it tends to reduce uncertainty. The informative discourse is considered neutral, it is communication about a subject matter that has attained the privileged status of being beyond dispute. The informative communicator has the purpose of creating mutual understanding of data that are considered to be accurate, based on facts. Persuasion is a subset of communication usually defined as a communicative process aimed to influence others. A persuasive message has a point of view or a desired behaviour for the receiver to adopt in a voluntary fashion. It is a complex, continuing, interactive process in which a sender and a receiver are linked by symbols, verbal and non-verbal, through which the persuader tries to influence the persuadee to adopt a change in a given attitude or behaviour. Persuasion is transactional, it promises to help people by satisfying their wants or needs. Both parties, persuader and persuadee, will perceive the change as mutually beneficial in the end. The best example is that of a teacher convincing his students about a certain theory. Propaganda utilises informative communication in a similar fashion, with the difference that the purpose exceeds the notion of mutual understanding. The aim of propaganda is to promote a partisan or competitive cause in the best interest of the propagandist, but not necessarily in the best interest of the recipient. The propagandist is a sender of messages who uses special talents and also scientific work to influence the attitudes of an audience. To be effective, propaganda should be adapted to the particular needs of the situation and the target audience. Defining propaganda, we can say that it is the deliberate and systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist. It is deliberate because it is wilful, intentional and premeditated; the term systematic means precise and methodical, carrying out something with organised regularity; it attempts to direct communication towards an objective that has been established a priori. The shaping of perceptions usually focuses on language and images, that is why slogans, symbols, posters are used. Manipulating cognitions means changing and forming people’s trust, creating new positive attitudes. The direction of a specific behaviour is the final behaviour of a propaganda effort, this representing the achievement of a response or a reaction from the part of the audience. Although propaganda takes many forms, it is almost always in some form of activated ideology. Sometimes propaganda is agitative, attempting to arouse an audience to certain ends with significant changes, some other times it is integrative, with the aim of rendering an audience in a passive, accepting and non-challenging way. Propaganda is also described as white, grey or black in relationship to an acknowledgement of its source and its accuracy of information. White propaganda comes from a source that is identified correctly, and the information in the message tends to be accurate, trying to build credibility with the audience. For example, some newspapers are for certain political parties openly and present the views of these formations. Black propaganda is credited to a false source and it spreads lies, fabrications and deceptions. For example, Radio Free Hungary attracted world attention and sympathy in Western countries for commenting the events of 1956 when the Russians sent their tanks to Budapest, but it was in fact a fake operated by the KGB with the intention to demonstrate that the United States could not be relied upon to help a country in


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revolt. Grey propaganda is somewhere between the two other forms, the source of the message is correctly identified but the information is inaccurate. It is used in advertising and electoral campaigns most of the time. C3. Resume the following text, extracting the main ideas, in no more than five lines: Out of the millions of things that happen every day, print and electronic journalists decide what few things are worth reporting. Deciding what is newsworthy is not an exact science, but there are common elements that characterise it. The most important feature of a newsworthy event is timeliness, because news is new and yesterday’s news is old news. A consumer who picks up the evening paper or turns on the afternoon news expects to be told what has happened earlier the same day. News is perishable and stale news is not interesting. Another quality of news is proximity, because readers and viewers want to learn about their neighbourhood, town, country. All other things being equal, things from close to home are more newsworthy than news from a foreign country. Psychological proximity is also important, for example subway riders from Bucharest will be more interested in a material about the New York subway than the people in the same town not travelling by this means of transport. Prominence is another feature, as the more important a person, the more valuable he or she is as a news source. Political leaders, sports and entertainment figures, but also dangerous criminals give media coverage. Another golden rule is that people are interested in events with consequences on their lives, with impact. A tax increase, drought, inflation, earthquakes, all these events have consequence and are widely mediatised. The last quality we mention is human interest, stories that arouse emotion in the audience by being ironic, bizarre, tragic. Typically, these items concern ordinary people who find themselves in circumstances with which the audience can identify. Thus, when the winner of the state lottery gives half of his winnings to the elderly man who sold him the ticket, it becomes newsworthy. Anyhow, it is not easy to establish what is news. C4. Translate into English: Comunicarea este un cuvânt la modă azi. Mai ales comunicarea în masă s-a dezvoltat extrem de rapid după cel de-al doilea război mondial, când eforturile s-au concentrat asupra eficienţei propagandistice. Iniţial, s-a considerat logic să se înceapă cu sursa, acest punct de vedere dovedindu-se o gravă eroare care îşi are rădăcinile în renumita teorie a glonţului. Potrivit acesteia, sursa (cel care comunică) foloseşte o combinaţie de mesaje şi strategii de media pentru a influenţa un public ce trebuie convins, aşa cum un glonte urmăreşte o ţintă precisă. Comunicarea scrisă sau vorbită se constituia atunci când cuvintele ce urmau să constituie mesajul erau selectate şi aranjate pentru a fi emise pe piaţă. Mai târziu specialiştii au ajuns la concluzia că impactul comunicării este mai mare dacă se începe cu publicul ţintă, cel ce dă sens mesajului, pe măsură ce informaţiile primite sunt procesate în contextul credinţelor, atitudinilor, motivaţiilor şi necesităţilor oamenilor. Astăzi teoria lui Schramm, potrivit căreia comunicarea este o relaţie tranzacţională între două sau mai multe părţi între care este schimbată informaţia, este comun acceptată. Dacă cel care comunică nu înţelege publicul căruia i se adresează, transferul de semnificaţii nu se produce. Capacitatea sursei de a se pune în locul receptorului a fost denumită empatie, aceasta începând să funcţioneze în primii ani de viaţă, atunci când copilul învaţă să preia rolul altuia.


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D. Vocabulary practice D1. Give the synonyms and the antonyms of the following words: effective; careful; publicity; employee; stable; adequate; ability; manager; to persuade; to extend. D2. What kind of personality do you have? Find out by solving this quiz. Tick the statement you agree with: 1. I’d love to do a parachute jump. 2. I don’t like telling other people what to do. 3. I prefer spending time on my own rather than in a crowd. 4. I find it easy to set myself objectives. 5. I have difficulties in making decisions. 6. I find it difficult getting to know new people. 7. I’d love to travel abroad. 8. Friends sometimes complain that I order them around. 9. I like to have the advice and support of experienced people. 10. I don’t like volunteering opinions in case they are unpopular. 11. I like to try to find new solutions to old problems. 12. I would prefer to be team captain than team member. 13. I get embarrassed easily. 14. I don’t mind where I go with my friends as long as they are happy. 15. I like the latest fashions. 16. I like to be fully responsible for anything I do. Check your scores now. Three or four ticks in any category indicate personality characteristics you should take account of when choosing a job. A. Positive answer for

1, 7, 11, 15 The entrepreneur You are adventurous. You enjoy challenges and taking risks. You could find success in creative work.

B. Positive answer for 2, 5, 9, 14

The team worker You work well with others but dislike to be given responsibility, so you prefer to put into practice other people’s plans. You would do well in the army.

C. Positive answer for 3, 6, 10, 13

The backroom worker You are a little shy and find it difficult to mix with new people. You would do well in any behind-the-scene job where you don’t have to come face to face with strangers. You could be a researcher.

D. Positive answer for 4, 8, 12, 16

The leader You are confident in your abilities and you want to be in charge not to take orders. You enjoy having lots of people around and organising them.

Scoring A 1 7 11 15 B 2 5 9 14 C 3 6 10 13 D 4 8 12 16


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D3. Complete the passage with these words. There are two words in surplus in the table. What is success? Achieving a long-held ………. ? Earning a million by the time you are twenty five? Joining the ……….? ……….to the top of your chosen profession? Writing a ……….? ……….means different things to different people, but one has managed to ………. all this in a very short space of time. Jeff Johnson was still at university when he realised the ……….profits to be made from the sale of posters to an eager public. The poster stall he organised every Sunday was regularly surrounded by enthusiasts eager to find something new. So, after graduating, he took a loan, rented office space and acquired a stock of posters. Soon his business was ………. rapidly and he was able to purchase a warehouse, which he renovated and used as a centre for his operations. Other shops were opened in different parts of the country and sales ……….. Hard-headed businessmen crowded to buy shares in this ……….’s company when it went public and Jeff was able to ……….the rewards of his hard work by taking time off to buy a house and get married. He is still only in his mid-twenties, a father of two, and a ……….businessman with a product which is a ……….leader. To admirers of his accomplishments he points out that he has had to make sacrifices. “It’s difficult to maintain one’s privacy”, he says. “Once you are successful, you have to live in the ……….eye to a certain extent”. D4. Using the verbs to affirm, to allege, to assert, to claim, to contend, to insist, to maintain and to pretend, translate the following sentences: a.Susţine că n-a văzut nimic. b. Afirm cu toată răspunderea că n-am văzut-o la ora respectivă acolo. c. Acuzatul îşi menţine declaraţia. d. Ea susţine că soţul ei ar fi bătut-o. e. Afirmaţi că aţi fost martoră la accident cu toate că aţi fost văzută în altă parte? f. Susţine să i se plătească daune în urma accidentului. g. Ştiu că minte, dar susţine acum că n-a spus nimic. h. Ea tot susţine într-una că ei nu i s-a spus nimic. i. După toate acestea vă mai susţineţi punctul de vedere? j. Cotidianul “The Times” susţine că are informaţii precise cu privire la scandal. Remember the following phrases: to affirm readily; to allege to be somebody or something (that you are not); to assert one’s authority/claims/point of view/rights; to assert without proof; to claim attention; to claim for damages; to claim to be the best/the right; to contend a statement; to insist on something; to maintain an attack/a process.

public reap market fame wealth ambition respected jet set whizz-kid success best-seller rising achieve rocketed expanding potential


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III. MASSES OR ELITES?

A. Writing letters. Correspondence was one of the first means of communication between people and it has always constituted a way of keeping in touch with persons who are at a certain distance from us. If we think of the origins, we could consider the pictures on the walls of the caves in the ancient times kind of letters, as hunters were trying to transmit their followers data about hunting possibilities of the area! All over the ages, human beings kept writing letters to their lovers and business acquaintances, to their parents or their employers, recalling or communicating certain things. Even though the telegraph or telephone diminished the usage of written words, nowadays people keep communicating through letters, with the help of the postal system or of more modern channels like e-mail or Internet. A1. Make all the changes and additions necessary to produce, from the following sets of words and phrases, sentences which together make a complete letter. Dear Diana a. Thank you/much/your letter/arrive/few days ago. b. It be lovely/hear/you. c. I be sorry/I not write/such/long time/but I/be very busy. d. As you know/we buy/new house/September. e. It be/very bad condition/and it need/a lot/work. f. We finish/most/it now/and it look/very nice. g. Peter and I/decide/give/house-warming party/May 3rd. h. You think/you able/come? i. Please give me/ring/let/know/you/make it. j. I/really/look forward/see you again. Love, Jenny A2. Read, translate and notice the construction of the letter in the text below. It is a fragment included in the book entitled “Of Plymouth Plantation” by one of the first pilgrims from England to the “new world”, America, William Bradford. He was the religious guide and then the elected governor of the community which was established in Plymouth, Massachusetts, around 1620. This is the letter of a certain John Robinson who was writing to his brother-in-law, which was in America. Observe the old forms of some words. Observe the old syntactic constructions: MY DEAR BROTHER, I received enclosed in your last letter the note of information, which I shall carefully keep and make use of as there shall be occasion. I have a true feeling of your perplexity of mind and toil of body, but I hope that you who have always been able so plentifully to administer comfort unto others in their trials, are so well furnished for yourself, as that far greater difficulties than you have yet undergone (though I conceive them to have been great enough) cannot oppress you; though they press you, as the Apostle speaks. The spirit of a man (sustained by the Spirit of God) will sustain his infirmity; I doubt not so will yours. And the better much when you shall enjoy the presence and help of so many godly and wise brethren, for the bearing of the part of your


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burthen, who also will not admit into their hearts the least thought of suspicion of any the least negligence, at last presumption, to have been in you, whatsoever they think in others. Now what shall I say and write unto you and your good wife my loving sister? Even only this: I desire, and I always shall unto you from the Lord as unto my own soul. And assure yourself that my heart is with you, and that I will not forslow my bodily coming at the first opportunity. I have written a large letter to the whole, and I am sorry I shall not rather speak than write to them; and the more, considering the want of a preacher, which I shall make some spur to my fastening after you. I do ever commend my best affection unto you, which if I thought you made any doubt of, I would express in more and the same more ample and full words. And the Lord in whom you trust and whom you serve ever in this business and journey, guide you with His hand, protect you with His wing, and show you and us His salvation in the end, and bring us in the meanwhile together in this place desired, if such be His good will, for His Christ’s sake. Amen. Yours, etc. July 27, 1620 John Robinson A3. There is a standard and polite form of letters and of course each person adds his or her own skills to the pattern. We should learn the basic format in order to be sure that we do not make mistakes. Observe in the text bellow the structure of the letter: sender’s address, date, inside or receiver’s address, salutation, body of the letter, complimentary close and signature. 2 George Coşbuc Street

Bucharest 7110 Romania

10th October, 1999 1-3 Oxford Avenue London EL6 12GB Great Britain Dear Sir, I am writing to complain about the car that I bought from you last month. It is just a heap of scrap. When I tried to start it one morning the key would not turn in the lock, as the battery was flat and two of the plugs needed changing. When I finally got it going, the bonnet would not stay closed and the driver’s side door fell off. When I tried to stop to pick up the door, the brakes did not work so I crashed into a tree and smashed the radiator. Also one of the wheels came off. Do you really think this car is worth 1,000 $? Well, if you do, I don’t. What are you going to do about it? Yours faithfully, Ion Popescu A4. Write a letter to your internet supplier, showing that you are very pleased with the services rendered up to now and that you hope they will keep on working like that.


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B. Passive Voice B1. Voice is the grammatical category which shows the relationship between the subject and the action. In Romanian, we have three “diateze”(voices):'activă’,'pasivă’ and ‘reflexivă’. “Diateza activă” refers to an action in which the grammatical subject of the sentence is also the logical subject of the sentence, because it accomplishes the activity expressed by the verb (Mama spală rufe). “Diateza pasivă” represents an action in which the grammatical subject of the sentence is not the same with the logical subject of the sentence, because the activity accomplished by someone else (complement de agent) influences the subject (Rufele sunt spălate de către mama). “Diateza reflexivă” expresses an action through which the grammatical subject of the sentence in the same time does the action and is influenced by it (Ion se spală). In English there are only two voices: active and passive voice. The Romanian “reflexiv”is transferred either to the active voice (John is washing himself) or to the passive voice (Se spune că … - It is said that…). The representation of the tenses in the Indicative Mood at Passive Voice:

Tense Active Voice Passive Voice Present Simple Subject + Infinitive (-s/-es, 3rd person,

singular) John gives money to beggars.

Subject + Be (present) + Past Participle (3rd form of the verb) Beggars are given money by John. Money is given to beggars by John.

Present Continuous

S + Be (present) + V-ing John is giving money to beggars.

S + Be (present) + Being + 3rd form Beggars are being given money by John./Money is being given to beggars by John.

Past Simple S + 2nd form of the verb John gave money to beggars.

S + Be (past) + 3rd form Beggars were given money by John. Money was given to beggars by John.

Past Continuous

S + Be (past) + V-ing John was giving money to beggars.

S + Be (past) + Being + 3rd form Beggars were being given money by John./Money was being given to beggars by John.

Present Perfect Simple

S + Have/Has + 3rd form John has given money to beggars.

S + Have/Has + been + 3rd form Beggars have been given money by John./Money has been given to beggars by John.

Past Perfect Simple

S + Had + 3rd form They said John had given money to beggars.

S + Had + Been + 3rd form They said beggars had been given money by John./They said money had been given to beggars by John.

Future Simple S + Shall/Will + Infinitive John will give money to beggars.

S + Shall/Will +Be + 3rd form Beggars will be given money by John. Money will be given to beggars.

Future in the Past

S + Should/Would + Infinitive They said John would give money to beggars.

S + Should/Would + Be + 3rd form They said beggars would be given money by John./They said money would be given to beggars by John.


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A special case is constituted by the Romanian “diateza reflexiv-pasivă”, which has the form of a reflexive and a passive meaning (Cartea aceasta se citeşte uşor). The English variant for this mixed type is a sentence with active form and passive meaning (This book reads easily). B2. Do the following exercises. 1. Give passive equivalents to the following active sentences: a. The dog frightens her. b. The team is carrying out an interesting experiment. c. You found the door shut. d. She was cooking dinner when he came. e. They have built three blocks of flats by now. f. They had been digging the garden for two hours when it started to rain. g. Somebody will do justice. h. She said somebody would announce him. i. Did your mother tell you we had left? j. They have given him the job he was looking for. 2. Make passive sentences using the tense required by the adverbials: 1. (promise, an electric train, little Jimmy) for his birthday. 2. (arrange, the furniture) right now. 3. (embroider, my grandmother, this tablecloth) when she was a girl. 4. (destroy, the little hut, the wind) during the storm. 5. (analyse, the problem) tomorrow. 6. (attack, the monkeys, the explorers) the previous day. 7. (congratulate, he) when I saw him. 8. (throw away, that junk) this morning. 9. (look, into the matter) next week. 10. (not live, in this castle) for 200 years. B3. Translate into English: a. Duminică noaptea s-a abătut asupra Marii Britanii o furtună puternică, care a provocat moartea a 5 persoane şi rănirea gravă a altor 8. Au fost înregistrate de asemenea zeci de răniri uşoare. Numeroase întreruperi ale curentului electric au fost determinate de vântul extrem de violent. Maşinile staţionate pe trotuare au fost purtate de vânt la zeci de metri depărtare. Una dintre victime a fost atinsă de un arbore smuls de vânt. Importante pagube au fost aduse şi unor nave care staţionau în porturi. Au fost recepţionate apeluri SOS lansate de o navă aflată în larg. b. După năcazul acesta iute păru că se aşează puţină linişte în gospodăria lui Toderaş Licea. Numai că spălătoreasa şi femeia care ţesea scorţuri îşi lăsară lucrul şi stătură o jumătate de ceas la sfat Anica. Se mirau, se băteau cu palma peste gură şi făceau felurite presupusuri. Apoi se duse fiecare la lucrul ei. Cucoana Catinca nu fu anunţată decât într-un târziu, când ieşi palidă la obraz, cu ochii strânşi, legată la cap cu o basma albă. (after Mihail Sadoveanu, Povestiri). B4. Translate the following text into Romanian and then conceive a similar one about the Romanian universities, using passive voice as much as possible: For many people, both among visitors to England and among the English themselves, the word “university” evokes before anything else the names of Oxford and Cambridge. With these names it is evoked a picture composed of such elements as ancient grey stone college buildings, green lawns, absent-minded professors, undergraduates on bicycles. The places are not conceived without a bookshop, a river, a chapel and a tower. It is not surprising that this should be so, since for several centuries Oxford and Cambridge were the only universities in England and even today their prestige


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remains unchanged. But the 20th century has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of universities and the development is still being continued. There are at present 46 universities in Britain, compared with 17 in 1945. C. Any community is parted in several small groups of people constituting the elites of the political, social and cultural life, on one hand, and the crowd, the mass of people of an average level. Along the ages, there has always been a tension between such small exclusive groups of educated and informed men and the rest of the population. In certain periods, the elites tried to govern the people either in a tyrannical way or with the intention of illuminating them. The communist regimes in Eastern European countries pretended to use the reversed method, that of imposing the power of the masses over the elites. But Marxist theories are not isolated in the attempt of breaking the walls between small educated groups and large uneducated crowds, the whole wave of 20th century ideologies including globalisation and post-industrialisation have this purpose. Can we conceive a separation into masses and elites nowadays? Why? Can you define the concepts of culture for the elites and mass-culture? C1. Try to answer the following questions: a. Do you consider yourself an educated person? Why? b. Do you like reading books? Which is your favourite genre? Which is your favourite author?

Which is your favourite book? Why? c. Do you like watching television? What kind of programmes? Why? d. Which is your opinion about advertising? Is it necessary or not? e. Do you think everybody should wear blue jeans or only young persons? Why? f. Do you prefer classical music or the music of your age? Why? g. Have you ever been part of a small specialised group (a reading club in highschool or a debate

group in the faculty)? What do you think about this kind of activity? h. Would you vote for a well-known cultural personality or for a very mediatised professional

politician in the elections for presidency? C2. Read and translate the following text. Comment upon the development of mass communication and its results and try to give more examples. The distinctive feature of modern times is the change of culture (the field in which the spiritual and creative activity of men is developed) in “my culture” (the spirit of place and time imposing itself over the most elevated thought as well as over the simplest ordinary action). For the 20th century people, there isn’t any general principle to be applied in the spiritual universe, and there isn’t any possibility to isolate oneself from communities and masses, because human being is not only an individual but also a social being. Industrialisation and democracy levelled people in the developed countries, so there is no major difference in what concerns social class, living standards, and mentalities. Most of the population can have access to culture in its various forms and is allowed to keep informed about the topics of interest. Of course there are voices which raise against this kind of “dictatorship of the masses” and which try to preserve culture in a pure elitist form, of course there are intellectuals who do not like democracy although they enjoy its benefits, but the process is irreversible. “Mass culture has won, there is nothing else”, sociologists assume.


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We have to start from the pyramid of needs, built by Abraham Maslow in 1954, which places, at the lowest level, physiological necessities (food, sex, rest etc.), then security (safety, lack of danger), acceptance and love (the desire to be part of a group, social category, agreed by the others), appreciation (after achieving a goal and making it known in the community), knowledge (the wish to understand and explore), the aesthetic component (symmetry, order, beauty), and, at the top, self-esteem. The form is that of a pyramid, the scholar explains, because the number of persons with certain needs decreases from the first to the last step, but also because the parts determine each other. We will easily recognise that at the beginning (from stage one to stage four) people cover material usage of things or practical actions with specific purposes. This is what normal men of average intelligence and standard of living usually act upon, do, think. The last three steps are very high, they manifest at individuals acknowledging the fact that there are also superior possibilities for human beings only. Nowadays, the society of Western capitalist countries tends to focus on mass-audience culture, commercial culture, “popular” culture, the culture industry, defined as opposing to elitism. This conception developed according to the evolution of the world affairs in the latest century: mankind have striven to imagine and accomplish systems of government, economy, human relations, based on pluralism, equal opportunities for everybody, wide participation. These notions, together with the quick spread of new technologies and means of communication, which make people be able to keep in touch with each other at long distances and preserve stocks of information, have strengthened the middle class and have maintained market, customer-oriented economy, general elections in policy, democratic ruling. Accordingly, management and marketing, persuasion, propaganda, manipulation or image building are capital for going on. What is mass culture? Which are its main components? The phenomenon represents the attempt of persons who have passed through four parts of Maslow’s scheme to go upper, without being prepared or trained for it. The result is that they take safety as knowledge, for example, or agreement of a certain community as personal fulfilment and reason for self-esteem, or appreciation as order. The theory of reification explains how, under capitalism, world is instrumentally organised and “taylorised” according to various rational models of efficiency, which means that ideas aren’t important for themselves anymore, but through consequences. Commodity and consumption become key words, instead of the traditional triad truth-beauty-good, and everything is measured in money and social position (power). The story, the narrative has changed: it doesn’t tend to be situated at the top of the pyramid, establishing ideals and trying to explain exterior and interior forces; it is at the bottom of the structure, without any other hope or ambition but to make a spectator be content and happy with what he gets. But, in the same time, such a tale imitates, in a rough copy, the superior part of the stairs: after all, advertisement is nothing else but a rudiment of mythology. In an American magazine there appeared, in a pro/con advertising debate, the interview of a copy chief at an advertising agency, and his words seemed to me the most we can say about Western capitalist commercial city civilisation: “The consumer is a great big gapping jaw we’re all trying to fill up with whatever we can cram down there, and the great hope is that the jaw will keep getting wider and wider”. One of the most important reasons for transforming culture from a privilege of the elites into a field for everyone was the development of the means of transmission and circulation of its products. In the Middle Ages people were copying the books by hand and manuscripts were too rare and expensive for being read by large groups. In the 15th century, Guttenberg’s invention (printing with movable letters) revolutionised the possibilities to spread culture. The idea of mass-circulated


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newspapers followed the invention of printing. The early printed matter consisted of books and religious tracts, but soon literacy grew and the periodicals containing exciting stories for the middle class taste appeared. In Holland, printers began turning out corantos, or currents of news, around 1620. In the centuries to follow, printed materials constituted an important means of news quickly reaching the public, as for example the manifests issued by the intellectuals for the masses during the French Revolution, weapons for the communards and linkage between the elites and the people. In the 20th century, the appearance of faster means of communication, such as the telegraph, the telephone, radio and television, reduced more and more the distance between elites and average people. In contemporary world education is not so expensive as in the past so it is not the privilege of small wealthy groups anymore. Apart from the good effects of culture globalisation, there are also some by-effects of this process: the standardisation of human knowledge, which has led to the creation of certain stereotypes and patterns of mind from which people are not generally accustomed to escape; the danger of vulgarising noble causes and ideas; the uniformisation and levelling of persons with different capacities and levels of information. Maybe the solution to a problem prompted because of masses and communities is, paradoxically, an individual one: each of us should carefully choose his own sources of information and should try to build up a personality and a system of thought in spite of uniformisation and globalisation. C3. Read the following text and then answer the questions: Mass communicators have a set of common characteristics which distinguish them from other groups and institutions. First of all, mass communication is produced by complex and formal organisations characterised by specialisation, division of labour, focussed areas of responsibility. This means that mass communication will be the product of a bureaucracy. As in most bureaucracies, decision-making will take place at several different levels of management and channels of communication within the organisation will be formalised. Another important factor that characterises the mass communicator is the presence of multiple gatekeepers. A gatekeeper is a person or group which has control over what material eventually reaches the public. Gatekeepers exist in large numbers in all mass communication organisations, some being more obvious than others. The third rule is that mass communication organisations need a great deal of money to operate, so that they have to have strong financial resources in order to penetrate the market. That is the reason why small companies unite and form “mega-media concerns”. Another characteristic of mass communicators is that these organisations exist to make profit. The consumer is the ultimate source of this profit, but there are various secondary means of financing. Last but not least, mass communication organisations are highly competitive. Since the audience is the source of profit, mass communicators compete with each other as they attempt to attract the public. Questions: a. Which are the five characteristics of mass communicators? b. What is a gatekeeper? c. Why should mass communication be formalised? d. Which is the ultimate source of mass communicators? e. Why do mass communication organisations compete? f. What are mega-media concerns?


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C4. Complete the missing words in the following texts: a. The struggles which ………to transform the legitimate hierarchies through the legitimating of a still ………art or genre, such as photography or the strip cartoon, or through the ………of minor or neglected authors, are precisely what creates legitimacy by creating belief in the value of the ………in which the value is produced and reproduced. These arts, not yet fully legitimate, which are ………or neglected by the big holders of educational capital, offer a ………and a revenge to those who, by appropriating them, try to remove the existing systems, having in the same time a great impact over the ………. Missing words: aim, disdained, game, illegitimate, refuge, audience, rehabilitation. b. What makes a best seller? This is a sixty-four dollar question. It can be answered, ………largely by guess and summarise, and never satisfactory to the ………who wants a formula. The creation of a best seller does not follow an exact ………anymore than does the making of a ………man. Moreover, since there is not just one ………audience, no single formula could be expected. There are certain elements of………appeal, as religion, sensationalism, information and guidance, or adventure, democracy, humour, ………, juvenile suitability, timeliness and so on. Missing words: though, best seller, pattern, successful, inquirer, characterisation, popular. C5. Write an essay about the themes, plots, character type, spatial and temporal structures, stereotypes used in soap operas. Think of examples from American serials (“Dallas”, “Dynasty”, “The Bold and the Beautiful”, “The Young and the Restless”) and from South-American telenovellas Which of the two types is the purest, which of them do you watch? Try to define melodrama in the context. Do you consider comical serials, like “The Bundies” or “Seinfeld” as part of the popular culture or of the elite culture? Explain your opinion. Make use of the table below. It would be suitable to watch the most popular serials for a week, to make a fresh opinion, and then to try to find several theoretical materials. Just after you have passed through these stages write down your essay.

Point of comparison

High culture Mass culture Folk culture

Degree and type of institutionalisation

Recognised, protected and promoted by formal social bodies. High social value

Left to media and market

Originally neglected. Now often officially protected

Type of organisation of production

Not organised, one-off and unique for specialised markets

Mass produced for mass markets, using technologies in certain planned ways

Reproduced according to standard, traditional designs by hand. Market not essential, artificially exhibited


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Content and meaning Ambiguous, disturbing and timeless

Superficial, pleasing, unambiguous, almost universal, but in the same time perishable

Unselfconscious in meaning and purpose, It is clear or obscure, decorative or rustic. Not universal but persists in time

Audience and effect Relatively small, being trained or educated, connoisseurs. Intellectual satisfaction Prestige. Enlarging experience

Everyone in principle, heterogeneous. Consumption-oriented. Immediate and direct gratification. Diversion

All members of the same culture, though also limited. Continuity, custom, solidarity, integration

D. Vocabulary practice D1. Give the synonyms and antonyms of the following words: profit; agent; extensive; irrational; popular; distinguished; revenue; demand; to concentrate; to attack; to gather; to conceal. D2. Join the halves: a. If money were not spent on advertising, it

would give manufacturers the opportunity to

b. Some firms spend large sums of money on advertising to

c. The target audience is the selection of the population to

d. A jingle is a short tune to e. Ego bait is intended to f. Many manufacturers see advertising as an

insurance policy which gives them the opportunity to

g. Advertising can be seen as a means to h. The advent of satellite television has

opened up possibilities for international advertising agencies to

i. A hoaring is a site for poster advertising which some firms use to

j. If manufacturers do not advertise when sales fall they might have to

k. The Trade Descriptions Acts were passed to

l. The purpose of much advertising expenditure on established brands is to

1. flatter the target audience by pandering to their self image and making them more receptive to the advertising message.

2. substantially reduce the cost of the goods to the consumers.

3. remind the public the name of the brand. 4. ensure that advertisers do not make false

statements about their products, services. 5. attract the attention of people such as

pedestrians and motorists. 6. communicate between those with goods

and services to sell and those who might benefit from those goods and services.

7. Reduce large numbers of their workers. 8. which the advertising message of a

television or radio is sung. 9. whom the advertisement is intended to

appeal 10. restrict the entry of competitors into the

market. 11. advertise throughout the world with a

single commercial. 12. Protect themselves against their own too-

optimistic forecasts.


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D3. Translate the following sentences, using the following verbs and phrasals: to account for, to elucidate, to explain, to expound, to interpret. Then build up your own sentences containing the phrases given at the end of the text: 1. Încearcă să-i explici, sigur va înţelege. 2. Asta explică de ce n-au venit la timp. 3. Adaugă şi o notă explicativă la scrisoare. 4. Teoria aceasta trebuie să fie explicată în detaliu pentru a fi înţeleasă corect. 5. E o neînţelegere care se cere explicată cât de curând. 6. Explică acest pasaj în mod personal! 7. Va trebui să te explici! 8. Oboseala nu explică totul! 9. Mâine va ţine o prelegere şi îşi va explica doctrina. 10. Adaugă un comentariu la lucrare, acesta va explica sensul întregii acţiuni. Remember the following phrases: to account for something/everything; to elucidate the enigma; elucidatory clues; to explain to somebody/why; explanatory notes; to expound a doctrine/theory; to interpret a dream/text. D4. Complete the sentences with these phrases: standing ovation soap opera supporting roles low-budget prime-time box-office success sub-titles final curtain 1. Despite being a critical disaster, the film was a huge ……… 2. The orchestra and their conductor were given a………at the end of the concert. 3. People who are addicted to a particular ………seldom miss an episode. 4. It wasn’t until the ………fell that the audience voiced their disapproval by hissing and booing. 5. At the local arts cinema, foreign films are usually shown with ………, and only occasionally

dubbed. 6. Compared with most American blockbusters, it was a ………film, as very little funding was

available. 7. Programmes on ………television attract the greatest number of viewers. 8. Although the lead actor and actress were excellent, the ………were very well acted, too.


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IV. THE POWER OF THE PRESS

A. Official phone calls and letters. People often find themselves in official situations, in the company of their superiors or in relation with public institutions, and they feel embarrassed, they do not know what to do or how to express their opinion. We have already seen that information is usually standardized according to certain criteria as channel of communication or type of sender and receiver, and we have discussed the necessary procedures for sending and getting correct data through telephone or in writing. Official situations make us even more formal, more polite. A1. Compare the formal phone invitation with the informal one. Compare the formal letter of invitation with the informal one. Then compare a phone invitation with a letter of invitation. a. “Hello! Is there George?”

“Hi, Paul, this is George. What’s up?” “Glad to hear you, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for ages. You know, I’m going to the opera on Sunday and I was looking for someone to join me.” “Is someone else coming?” “I was thinking of inviting our colleague, Maria, too. Maybe you should also bring a friend.” “Good idea. But what is on that day?” “Madame Butterfly. Do you know the opera?” “I’ve heard it, but I haven’t seen the performance. I agree, let’s go the two of us with Maria and Dana.” “OK Let’s tell the girls and meet each other in front of the Opera House at a quarter to seven on Sunday.” “Consider it done. And thanks for the invitation.” “You’re welcome. See you there.” “Bye.”

b. “Good afternoon, can I speak to Mr. Black, please?” “Good afternoon, this is Mr. Black speaking. What can I do for you?” “My name is Irene Phillips, I am the secretary of Mr. David Wilson, the director of the Opera House. I’m calling you on behalf of Mr. Wilson in order to kindly invite you at the premiere of ‘Madame Butterfly’ at seven o’clock, on Sunday evening.” “Thank you and please thank Mr. Wilson for the invitation. A cultural evening away from the office is always a pleasure. I shall be there. But could you be so kind so as to tell me whether the invitation is for two, because I would like to also bring my wife?” “Excuse me for not mentioning it from the very beginning, of course the invitation is for two persons, and it would be much to our content if you brought your wife, too.” “I’m happy to hear that, you are being so kind. But I’d also like to know how I will receive the invitation”. “Yes, sir, I shall be at the main entrance of the opera house at a quarter to seven with the invitations for all our guests.” “ We shall be there in time, for sure. Thank you again. Good bye, Mrs. Phillips." “Good bye, Mr. Black.”


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c. Consider the letter of invitation at point A1 in course number 3 and then conceive another one from your part to one of your friends whom you want to invite to a symposium you know he would be interested in.

d. Communication Research Centre 10 Riverside Street Cardiff CF1 1JW Great Britain 17th November, 1999 Dear Sir, You are cordially invited to a special three days seminar, which will be held at our headquarters on December 5th, 6th and 7th. The theme will be “Media Communication in Contemporary World”. Attendance is limited so we must have our confirmation by November 25th. We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us on this occasion. Yours faithfully, Andrew Patterson A2. Translate into English a letter of request and a letter of application: a. Domnule Decan,

Subsemnatul …………………, student în anul ……… la Facultatea ……………… din cadrul

Universităţii…………., vă rog să îmi aprobaţi cazarea în unul din căminele universităţii pentru anul universitar 1999-2000. Solicit acest lucru deoarece am absolvit anul universitar anterior cu media ……şi nu domiciliez în această localitate.

Vă mulţumesc anticipat. Data:…………. Semnătura:…………….. b. Stimate domn,

Ref.: Asistent – Departamentul Relaţii Publice

Am aflat prin intermediul anunţului apărut în ziarul “România liberă” din data de 25 octombrie 1999 despre oportunităţile de angajare pe care firma dumneavoastră de publicitate le oferă studenţilor. Am fost foarte încântat că există în România companii care dau studenţilor posibilitatea să înveţe practic şi să dobândească experienţă.

După cum veţi vedea din Curriculum Vitae alăturat, sunt sudent în anul …… la facultatea …………….Am obţinut rezultate foarte bune în anii de studiu anteriori, iar perioadele de practică au constituit începuturile formării mele ca viitor specialist în domeniu.

Aş dori să scot în evidenţă calităţile pe care consider că le posed şi care cred că vin în întâmpinarea cerinţelor postului oferit de dumneavoastră.


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Calităţi comunicaţionale - ştiu să mă fac uşor înţeles şi reuşesc în multe cazuri să îi conving pe ceilalţi să adopte ideile mele, lucrez foarte bine în echipă.

Cunoştinţe teoretice de comunicare socială şi relaţii publice - dobândite la cursurile şi seminariile din facultate.

Cunoştinţe temeinice de limba engleză şi computer - dobândite pe perioada liceului şi a anilor de facultate.

Dacă aceste abilităţi sunt de interes pentru firma dumneavoastră, sper că mă veţi contacta la adresa menţionată mai sus. În cazul unui interviu, vă voi explica mai amănunţit de ce consider că sunt potrivit pentru postul de asistent la Departamentul Relaţii Publice.

Cu respect, Adrian Ionescu

You have already learnt the structure of the letter (sender’s address, date, inside address, salutation, body of the letter, complimentary close and signature), so you should complete the letter of application with the missing parts. We have to learn a new part of the letter, used in the official correspondence, the reference number, which makes easier the filing and storing of information. Compare the Romanian polite formulas with the English ones. A3. Rearrange the following paragraphs in the correct order to make up a covering letter. Bear in mind that extensive letters for job application are drafted nowadays in case the applicant sends his professional documents to all firms likely to employ his services even if they have not made a public announcement of vacancies. This is called the SHOT-GUN approach. Try to apply this technique to your situation. a. At the moment I am working part time as an independent agent for Romanian and German

importers of Chinese textiles and chemical products. I find the relevant Chinese factories for the buyers, negotiate for them and translate their contracts into Chinese, Romanian or English.

b. I would appreciate if you considered meeting or speaking with me within the next two months about the possibility of my working for your company.

c. I am writing in order to enquire about the possibility of an opening in your company. My goal is to find a position in an international company and I would be interested in either research and development or marketing and sales.

d. Please find enclosed my CV containing further details of my educational background experience.

e. I am particularly interested in finding a position that would offer me management training, and that would involve my knowledge of chemical processes and my foreign language skills.

f. My long experience of actively participating in committee meetings as a representative of my student unit has given me good presentation skills, as I am able to present ideas clearly and concisely to an audience.

g. The liaison work I have been doing has been challenging. I have learnt a great deal about the cultural differences in conducting business with Asian and European clients.

h. I see my strong points as my ability to lead teams and manage tasks and groups, take the initiative, solve problems, make decisions and open and maintain friendly relationships with people from all walks of life, I have limitless energy and I am willing to work hard to achieve all the goals of any task I am set.


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A4. Make up phone dialogues or letters on the following topics: a. You are a student. Arrange through the telephone an appointment at your dean with the

secretary of the faculty. b. Write a letter of thanks for the scholarship offered to you by the board of the faculty. c. Write a polite letter of refusal to take part in the opening ceremony of an organisation. B. Conditional Clauses

B1. Conditional sentences are made up of a conditional or “if” clause and a main clause. The latter denotes an action whose fulfillment is conditioned by the fulfillment of the action expressed by the verb of the former. The conditional clause can be introduced by if, provided (that), suppose, supposing (that), in case, so long as, on condition that, unless. Conditional sentences are not difficult to understand, because there are three types of conditionals in Romanian and in English, too. The difficulties come from the fact that future of any kind (shall/will/should/would) is not allowed in the English conditional clause, while in Romanian future can be used both in the main clause and in the “if” clause. Main Clause If Clause Value - Future (shall/will +

Infinitive) - Present Simple (Infinitive +

-s/-es at 3rd person singular)

- Present Perfect (have/has + 3rd form of the verb)

I shall go to the mountains Mă voi duce la munte You have got a present Ai primit un cadou

- Present Simple (Infinitive +

-s/-es at 3rd person singular)

- Present Perfect (have/has + 3rd form of the verb)

if you come with me. dacă vei veni cu mine. if you have come with me. dacă ai venit cu mine.

+ possible + achievable (achieved)

Present Conditional (should/would + Infinitive) (equivalent in form with Future in the Past) I should go to the mountains M-aş duce la munte

Past Tense (2nd form of the verb) (it is actually considered a Present Subjunctive) if you came with me. dacă ai veni cu mine.

+ possible 0 achievable (we do not know whether the action can be accomplished or not, we only know that the first clause depends on the second)

Past Conditional (should/would + have + Inf.) (equivalent in form with Future Perfect in the Past) I should have gone to the mountains M-aş fi dus la munte Mă duceam la munte

Past Perfect (had + 3rd form of the verb) (it is actually considered a Past Subjunctive) if you had come with me. dacă ai fi venit cu mine. dacă veneai cu mine.

- possible - achievable (the action would have been possible at a certain moment in the past, but the subject missed the opportunity, so it is not possible anymore)


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- unless = if not – it is used with the verb in the affirmative form. Example: I wouldn’t ask you to help me unless you were my best friend. - “if” may be omitted when the subordiate comes first. This emphatic structure is possible only for type 2 and type 3. The topic of the sentence is that of the interrogative. Example: Had they informed me about the meeting, I would have attended it. B2. Do the following exercises. 1. Supply the correct tense of the verbs in brackets: a. I won’t call you if nothing (to happen). b. If the engine (not to be cold), don’t pull out the choke control. c. I will call the electrician if the lights (to fail) again. d. If more governments (to wake up) to what is happening, perhaps he would be able to avoid the disaster. e. It would be risky if you (to drive) this old car to Spain. f. I would take the day off if I (to have) stomach ache. g. I (to stop) working if I won a lot of money. h. If they (to change) more money, they could have stayed in a hotel. i. Perhaps dad wouldn’t have been so surprised if he (to hear) the boys talking about it. j. Even I had run as fast as I could, I (to miss) the bus. 2. Complete the following conditional structures: a. If it doesn’t rain for months ………………. b. If a driver sees a zebra crossing the street ………………. c. I shall be happy if ………………. d. I should be rich and successful if………………. e. I won the prize unless ………………. f. If I went to visit London, ………………. g. I should have called you if ………………. h. I would have bought myself a new car in case………………. i. Had I been in your place ………………. j. Unless he had told me differently ………………. B3. Translate into English: a. 1. Dacă îţi vei face datoria, vor fi mulţumiţi. 2. Dacă ne-am fi oprit acolo, am fi ajuns înapoi foarte târziu. 3. Nu fura merele dacă ceilalţi băieţi nu-l îndemnau să o facă. 4. Dacă îl vei întreba ce înseamnă pentru el reclama, îţi va spune ceva ciudat. 5. Dacă ai lua un ziar, ai găsi probabil un număr de cuvinte pe care nu le înţelegi. 6. Dacă din întâmplare nu voi veni la timp, nu mă aştepta. 7. Dacă aş fi în locul tău, aş face orice mi-ar spune. 8. Dacă aş fi fost atât de obosit, mi-aş fi luat câteva zile de concediu. 9. În caz că m-ar fi căutat, sora mea nu m-ar fi dat la telefon. 10. Să fi ştiut ce mă aşteaptă, nu m-aş fi angajat acolo. b. …şi tot astfel, dacă închid un ochi, văd mâna mea mai mică decât cu amândoi. De aş ave trei ochi, aş vede-o şi mai mare, şi cu cât mai mulţi ochi aş ave, cu atâta lucrurile toate dimprejurul meu ar păre mai mari. Cu toate astea, născut cu mii de ochi, în jurul unor arătări colosale, ele toate, în raport cu mine păstrându-şi proporţiunea, nu mi-ar păre nici mai mari, nici mai mici decât îmi par azi. (Mihai Eminescu – Sărmanul Dionis)


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B4.Write compositions on the following topics: a. What would you do if you were the president of the state? b. What would you have done if your best friend had cheated on you? c. In case you become the director of an advertising company, how will you treat your employees? d. Where would you have liked to use your skills unless you had been born in Romania? C. In the broadest sense of the word, a medium is the channel through which a message travels from the source to the receiver (“medium” is singular, “media” is plural). When we talk about mass communication, we also need channels to carry the message. We will refer to these channels as the mass media. Our definition of a mass medium will include not only the mechanical devices that transmit and sometimes store the message (TV cameras, radio microphones, printing presses), but also the institutions that use these machines to transmit messages. When we talk about the mass media of television, radio, newspapers, magazines, sound recording, and film, we will be referring to the people, the polices, the organisations, and the technology that go into producing mass communication. There are seven main and different mass media: radio, television, film, book publishing, sound recording, newspapers, and magazines. Of course, these seven are not the only mass media that exist. If we choose, we might also include billboards, comic books, posters, direct mail, matchbooks, and buttons in our discussion. C1. Answer the following questions: a. Which medium do you find the most informative/the most sensational/the most biased? b. Which medium influences you the most? c. Do you know any specialised Romanian newspaper? d. What kind of British television do you know? e. Is there a gap in the media market? What kind of new magazine, newspaper, TV or radio

programme would you launch if you had adequate funds and a creative team behind you? f. How important is the image or presentation of an organisation or public figure? Is employing a

public relations firm a good way of improving this? C2. Read, translate and comment the following text: We define the term communication as the process of sending, receiving and interpreting messages through which we relate to each other and to our larger world. It means that, if for centuries speech has been considered entirely individual, at the moment it represents social interaction, with established targets and expected feedback. Contemporary theories of language prove our tendency to conceive utterance as connection between people, rather than self-expression of personal ideas. For example, anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski distinguished two functions of speech, link in concerted human activity (as for people shifting furniture) and phatic communication (as when people want to show that they recognise each other’s presence – greetings). In conclusion, communication is a process involving groups of people, of words, of gestures, of interests and of new realities (facts), so we can say that starting from this point it is not difficult to reach organisational communication, mass communication or issue management.


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• Organisational communication centres on the process of sending, receiving and interpreting messages within and between organisations. Organisations consist of independent goal-oriented activities of people who work together within a system of rules, norms and routines.

• Mass communication involves large numbers of people and is mediated, something coming between the sender and the receiver of message, putting a distance between them.

• Issue management investigates how organisations affect and are, in turn, affected by aspects of the communicative environment (government regulatory organisations, politicians, consumers, competitors and other organisations).

While there are important differences between the different media and between national societies and types of social system, there are also some similarities on which to base a generalisation. Any social institution comprises a set of activities, carried out by people occupying certain roles, according to rules and shared understandings. In the case of mass media, we are talking about the activities of cultural and informational production carried out by ‘mass communicators’ of many kinds and directed to audiences within a framework of regulation and custom. The special features of media institution, as it is widely constituted, are as follows: - It is concerned with producing and distributing ‘knowledge’ in the form of information, ideas,

culture. This is in response to collective social needs as well as the demands of individuals. - It provides channels for relating certain people to other people: senders to receivers, audience

members to other audience members, everyone to their society and its constituent institutions. These are not only the physical channels of the communication network, but also the channels of custom and understanding which define who should, or is likely to, listen to whom.

- The media operate almost exclusively in the public sphere: they comprise an open institution in which all can participate as receivers and, under certain conditions, also as senders. The media institution also has a public character in that mass media deal with matters on which public opinion exists or can properly be formed (i.e. not with personal or private matters or those for expert or scientific judgement).

- Participation in the institution as audience member is essentially voluntary, without compulsion or social obligation, more so than is the case with other institutions concerned with knowledge distribution, such as education, religion or politics. Correlative is the association of media use with leisure and free time and its disassociation from work and duty. Relate also is the formal powerlessness of the media institution: it can claim no authority of its own in society nor has it any organisation linking ‘higher’ (message producers) with ‘lower’ participants (audiences).

- The institution is linked with industry and the market, through its dependence on paid work, technology and the need for finance.

- Although itself without power, the institution is invariably linked with state power through some of its customary uses and through legal mechanisms and legitimating ideas which vary from one state to another. These features are not all unique to the media, but their existence in combination gives the mass

media their distinctive character and particular significance in a modern society. We can find other characteristics, of course, but these ones are the necessary minimum for a proper definition. Try to find other possible feature of mass media and discuss them. Think of the good and bad parts of the media, of written and electronic press. Discuss the ethics of mass media.


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C3. Read and translate the following text and then answer the questions. What do you think about such an approach, is it functional or not? Have you read about other theories of the kind? Can you conceive a theory of your own about the use of media? At the individual level, the functional approach to media is given the general name of the uses-and-gratifications model. In its simplest form, this model posits that audience members have certain needs that are satisfied by using non-media and media sources. The actual needs satisfied by the media are called media gratifications. Our knowledge of these gratifications typically comes from surveys that have asked people a large number of questions about how they use media. Several researchers have classified the various uses and gratifications into a fourfold category system: cognition, diversion, social utility, withdrawal. Cognition means the act of coming to know something. When a person uses a mass medium to obtain information about something, than he or she is using the medium in a cognitive way. Diversion can take many forms, including: stimulation, or seeking relief from boredom or the routine activities of everyday life; relaxation, or escape from the pressures and problems of day-to-day existence; emotional release of pent-up emotions and energy. Psychologists have also identified a set of social integrative needs, including our need to strengthen our contact with family, friends and others in our society. The media function that addresses this need is called social utility, and this usage can take several forms: that of conversational currency (media provide a common ground for social conversation) or that of parasocial relationship (the TV set represents a voice in the house for people who might otherwise be alone). On the other hand, humans occasionally need to escape from certain activities and they use media not only for relaxation but also for purposes that are best described as withdrawal uses. At times, people use the mass media to create a barrier between themselves and other people or other activities. For example, the media help people avoid certain chores that must be done. Questions: a. To what does the “uses and gratifications model” refer? b. Which are the main gratifications obtained through the media? c. Which are the basic forms of diversion through media? d. What is social utility? e. What is parasocial relationship? f. What is withdrawal? C4. Translate into English and comment upon the categories of media described in the text. Try to give examples for each type. În general, mass media sunt clasate în categorii, în funcţie de câteva criterii: întinderea audienţei lor (potenţială/efectivă, locală/naţională/internaţională); natura mesajelor (audiovizuale/textuale); virtualităţi şi înclinaţii spre anumite obiective (funcţii – a informa/a distra). Criteriul cel mai pertinent de a le deosebi constă în modalitatea de comunicare (structura comunicării) deosebindu-se trei mari familii: mediile autonome, care nu au pentru transmitere un suport tehnic specific (cărţi, ziare); mediile de difuziune, care au ca suport de difuziune undele hertziene şi care pot acoperi simultan spaţii şi audienţe foarte mari (radio, TV); mediile de intercomunicare, permiţând o comunicare la distanţă în dublu sens (telefonul). După alte criterii, mediile pot fi clasificate în: medii de prezentare (vocea, corpul, faţa), cele care folosesc limbajul natural al cuvintelor, mimica,


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gestica; medii de reprezentare (cărţile, pictura, fotografiile, arhitectura), cu caracter simbolic şi mare coeficient de creativitate; mediile mecanice (telefon, radio, TV). C5. Write an essay giving your opinion about the role of media in one of the following situations: a. The rise and fall of super-stars in music industry (example: Michael Jackson). b. The image of the president of a country for the citizens (example: the role of media during the

Watergate scandal, which lately brought to the resignation of president Richard Nixon). D. Vocabulary practice D1. Explain the following words and phrases and make sentences with them: a. to ring, to pick up, to disconnect, to cut off, slot, signal, extension, receiver, telephone booth, to dial, to be out of order, to make a call collect, to be engaged, hook, long distance call. b. mail, post, postman, postage stamp, to deliver, to dispatch, address, addressee, pillar box, registered letter, certified letter, to fill in, letter package, parcel post. D2.Do the following exercises: a. Complete each sentence with a word formed from one of these verbs: catch, censor, circulate,

cover, criticise. 1. The new gallery was given the seal of approval by the Observer’s art ………, who wrote several enthusiastic articles about it. 2. Roy Richardson is one of the BBC’s veteran cricket……….3. Under the Government’s wartime ………rules, all newspaper articles had to be checked by officials before being printed. 4, The tabloids have excellent ………of scandal and sport: the quality papers deal with everything else. 5. The local newspaper’s………fell dramatically when the editor was sacked. 6. That jingle from the teabag ad is so ………that I can’t get it out of my head. b. Choose the correct word or phrase from the pair in brackets to complete each sentence: 1. The actors have been ………the play all this week. (rehearsing/repeating). 2. The audience applauded wildly when the director appeared on the ……… to take his bow.

(scene/stage) 3. I’ve been watching a fascinating new ………of art programmes. (serie/series) 4. Although the play has a large number of ………, it is comparatively easy to follow the plot.

(characters/persons) 5. If you don’t like that programme, you can always switch over to a different ……….

(channel/canal) 6. The latest television dramatisation was filmed entirely ………in a country village not far from

here. (in the wild/on location) 7. Which ………did Marlene Dietrich play in her last film? (role/performance) 8. What a wondeful ………of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that was in the Evening Herald?

(critic/review)


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D3.Give the synonyms and antonyms of the following words: to motivate, promotion, usual, satisfying, compliance, to recruit, ability, relevant, casual, skill, complex, purposeful, juicy, link, reliance, regulation, remark, premise. D4.Translate into English the following sentences, using the verbs to notice, to observe, to perceive and to remark. Try to make sentences with the phrases related to these verbs, thus learning to use them in the suitable contexts: 1. Am observat imediat toate schimbările din cameră. 2. A observat cineva că am întârziat? 3. Nici nu am observat când a venit tata. 4. Ai făcut o observaţie cam obraznică. 5. Observă-l cu multă atenţie, să vezi ce face. 6. Nu observ să fie vreo diferenţă între desene. 7. L-am observat de mult, fii liniştit. 8. Am observat o uşoară ezitare în răspunsul ei. 9. L-am observat imediat în acel grup zgomotos. 10. Am observat că nu mai purta inelul de logodnă. Remember the following phrases: to notice somebody or something immediately, to take no notice of, to observe closely/thoroughly, to observe the details/indications/traffic rules, to perceive a motive/difference, to perceive through senses, to perceive at a glance, to remark on/upon a play/fact, to remark rudely, to remark in a slow voice, to make/pass a remark.


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V. THE NEWSPAPERS AND THE MAGAZINES

A. Commercial correspondence It is a well-known fact that any letter is the equivalent of a visiting card for the person who sends it. This is of capital importance in the case of commercial correspondence, because a firm is appreciated by the people with whom it establishes connections through the quality of the letters sent by the members of the organisation. Thus, writing business letters represents an essential element within a transaction, and the techniques have developed and refined along the ages, commercial correspondence becoming almost a science. For being considered well done from the technical point of view, a business letter should be clear, concise, polite, accomplishing a union of the style with the message. A1. Read and translate the following business letters. Bear in mind their names. a. Enquires (solicitare) Lynch & Co. Ltd. 75 Newell Street Satex S.A. Birmingham B3 3EL 4 Via di Pietra Great Britain Italy Ref: Inq. 351 6th February 1999 Dear Sirs, We were impressed by the selection of sweaters that were displayed on your stand at the “Menswear Exhibition” that was held in London last month. We are a large chain of retailers and are looking for a manufacturer which could supply us with a wide range of sweaters for the teenage market. We would like to know about your usual terms of a contract. As we commonly place large orders, we would expect a quantity of discount in addition to a 20% trade discount off net list prices, and our terms of payment are normally 30-day bill of exchange, documents against acceptance. If these conditions interest you and if you can meet orders of over 1000 garments, please send us your current catalogue and price-list. We hope to hear from you soon. Yours faithfully, Lionel Crane General Manager This type of letter contains in the body of the letter data about the source from which a firm has found out about the other firm, a brief presentation of the activities of the requiring company, the description of the terms of a possible contract or understanding and the enquiry for catalogues and price lists. The shortest form of this kind of letter would include a presentation and a polite request of information. Remember the structure, the pattern of this type of letter and try to conceive an enquiry yourself. Don’t forget to write the addresses and the reference number.


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b. Letters of reply and quotations Satex S.A., Via di Pietra, 00146, Rome Lynch & Co. Ltd. 75 Newell Street Your ref.: Inq. C351 Birmingham B3 EL Our ref: D/1439 Great Britain 23 February 1999 Attn: Mr. L. Crane, General Manager Dear Mr. Crane, We are pleased to receive your enquiry and to hear that you liked our range of sweaters.There will certainly be no trouble in supplying you from our wide selection of garments which we make for all age groups. We can offer you the quantity discount you have asked for which would be 5% off net prices for orders over 2000£, but the usual allowance for a trade discount in Italy is 15%, and we always deal on payment by sight draft, cash against documents. However, we would be prepared to review this once we have established a firm trading association with you. Enclosed you will find our summer catalogue and price list. We are sure you will find a ready sale for our products in England as have other retailers throughout Europe and America, and we do hope we can reach an agreement on the terms quoted. Thank you for your interest, we look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely, D. Causio Notice how, in the reply, Mr. Causio does not turn down the request but suggests a counter-offer. Observe two newly introduced parts of a letter, the letterhead (antet) and the attention note for the addressee (attn.).Write a quotation of your own. A2. Complete the following sentences which open and close business letters: a. Our firm is aware that you are exporters of ……… b. Your name was given to us by……… c. We are informed that your firm produces………and we would be interested in……… d. If you are interested in buying our merchandise we inform you that……… e. We are very interested in your offer as so ……… f. If you agree with our terms, please ……… g. We are looking forward to ……… h. We thank you for your confidence in us and ……… i. Having favourably solved our first offer, we hope ……… j. We would certainly appreciate ……… k. You may be sure of ……… l. Enclosed to this letter ……… m. With our best thanks ……… n. We kindly entrust you that we are able to settle the matter ………


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A3. Translate into English the following letters, adding to them the missing parts: a. Letter of ordering Stimate domnule Causio, Veţi găsi alăturat comanda noastră, Nr. DR4316, de pulovere pentru tineri, toate culorile şi mărimile pe care le oferiţi în catalog. Am hotărât să acceptăm reducerea de 15 % şi condiţiile de plată pe care le doriţi, dar insistăm să rediscutăm aceşti termeni contractuali în viitorul apropiat. Veţi găsi alăturat documentele de transport şi ordinul de plată de la Banca Northminster din Birmingham. Dacă nu aveţi în stoc obiectele solicitate, vă rugăm să nu ne trimiteţi altele care să le înlocuiască. V-am fi recunoscători dacă aţi face livrarea în termen de 6 săptămâni. Aşteptăm cu nerăbdare răspunsul dumneavoastră. Cu respect, Lionel Crane Director general b. Letter of complaint Stimate domnule Causio, Vă scriu pentru a face o plângere în legătură cu transportul de pulovere pe care l-am primit ieri în urma comenzii noastre din data de 10 martie. Cutiile în care erau ambalate puloverele erau desfăcute şi păreau că s-au rupt în timpul transportului. Din documentele pe care ni le-aţi trimis, am constatat că 30 de obiecte au fost furate, având valoare generală de 1.500 £. Din cauza deteriorării cutiilor, alte câteva obiecte nu mai pot fi vândute ca articole noi. Pentru că vânzarea s-a făcut în bani ghiaţă, vă rugăm să ne contactaţi urgent pentru a stabili compensaţiile. Veţi găsi alăturat o listă cu bunurile dispărute şi cele deteriorate, iar noi vom păstra stocul intact până când vom primi instrucţiunile dumneavoastră. Cu respect, Lionel Crane Director general A4. Choose a topic and write a letter: a. Request for a catalogue from a firm of tapes and cassettes whose products you have seen at a fair. b. You are the director of an advertising agency, answer to the proposal of co-operation of a television station. c. Answer the two letters you have translated before, on behalf of Mr. Causio. d. Write a letter of complaint for the products you have ordered from a company of cosmetics. The items arrived to you very damaged. e. You are the manager of a firm which offers shipment for goods. Write a reply to another company, explaining the ways in which you can help them with transport. f. You are the manager of a small company. Write a letter to a larger company in the same field, proposing to co-operate in certain activities.


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B. The Subjunctive B1. The English Subjunctive differs very much form the Romanian “Conjunctiv”, as the English mood is syntactic, it can be expressed in different ways but it is requested by almost the same expressions all the time; the Romanian “Conjunctiv”Mood is morphological, it represents any verb which has a form beginning with “să”, no matter in which construction it appears. In English, we should try to remember the phrases requiring Subjunctive, which usually express: order, demand, suggestion, necessity. There are two types of Subjunctive in English: a. Subjunctive 1 (synthetic): identical in form with the short infinitive (I be, He have, She go).

Rules Examples 1. In sentences expressing greetings or exclamations. (it could be replaced by May + Infinitive)

Long live our Queen! – May our Queen live long! Happen what may! So be it! Curse the wind!

2. In sentences expressing an order or a demand (it could be replaced by Imperative)

Everybody come here. (Veniţi cu toţii aici) Somebody go and tell him to come (Să meargă cineva să-i spună să vină) – Let one of you go and tell him to come.

3. In sentences introduced by it is + adjective + that: it is important, it is good, it is bad, it is strange, it is unusual, it is necessary, it is remarkable, it is surprising, etc. (it could be replaced by should + Infinitive)

It is better that he go now – It is better that he should go now. It is strange that he leave the conference.

4. After verbs expressing order, decision, suggestion, condition, doubt, purpose, fear, desire, request: to order, to command, to decide , to suggest, etc. (it could be replaced by should + Infinitive)

I doubt that he be here on time. I doubt that he should be here on time. They insist that the factory be modernised.

5. In expressions taken from the Medieval English Language: if need be (dacă este nevoie), be it so (aşa să fie), far be it from me (departe de mine gândul), suffice it to say (este de ajuns să spun).

If need be, I shall be there. Suffice it to say that the project was accepted.

6. After phrases like would rather, had better, had best, would sooner, would have

I would rather go to the mountains than stay in town. You had better leave now.

b. Subjunctive 2 (analytical): - Present: identical in form with the Past Tense of the Indicative mood (I were, I had, I went). - Past: identical in form with Past Perfect from the Indicative (I had been, I had had, I had gone).


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For the verb “to be”, there is only one form of Subjunctive 2 present, were, while in the Past Tense Indicative there are 2 forms, was and were. We have seen that Subjunctive 1 has several equivalents, the Imperative Mood, May + Infinitive and should +Infinitive; Subjunctive 2 has only one equivalent for all the cases, should + Infinitive. Sometimes Subjunctive 2 can be used instead of Subjunctive 1 in situations 3 and 4 mentioned in the table above, but anyhow the specific form for these cases remain Subjunctive 1. Examples: It is better that we went now. I doubt that he were here on time.

Rules Examples 1. It expresses a desire introduced by an interjection or by the verb wish.

Oh, that it were possible! I wish I were you. (Aş vrea să fiu în locul tău) I wish I had been you. (Aş fi vrut să fi fost în locul tău)

2. After phrases like as if, as though, even if, even though, rather than, than that.

I asked him if this were what he wanted. (L-am întrebat dacă aceasta este ceea ce doreşte) I asked him if this had been what he wanted. (L-am întrebat dacă aceasta fusese ceea ce dorea)

3. After the expressions with –ever: however, whatever, whichever, whoever, etc.

Whoever they were I can’t see them now. Whoever they had been I couldn’t meet them.

4. After be afraid that, fear that, be terrified that, for fear and lest. Lest is a negative form, so it is used with a verb in the affirmative form.

I am so glad that you were here. I am afraid lest he missed the train.

B2. Do the following exercises. a. Finish the sentences: 1. It is important that this paper ……… 2. My mother took me to the cinema so that I ……… 3. He didn’t dare ski lest he ……… 4. I wish you ……… 5. I suggest that he ……… b. Replace the Infinitive in brackets with the appropriate forms of the Subjunctive: 1. You had better (to listen) to me. 2. It is likely that he (to be) awarded a prize. 3. I wish you (to learn) better. 4. I asked her if this (to be) what she meant. 5. You look as if you (to be) tired. 6. Whoever they (to be) tell them to wait. 7. Even though she (to ask) she would not have been given an answer. 8. It is high time you (to make up) your mind whether you want to do the job or not. 9. She had rather (to come) with you. 10. I should like to have a rest rather than (to join) you on the trip.


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B3. Translate into English: a. A sugerat să ne petrecem vacanţa la mare. b. Mă îndoiesc că va fi aici până mâine. c. Dacă este nevoie putem să ne oprim acum. d. Ai face mai bine să mergi cu noi. e. Chiar dacă ai fi insistat nu l-ai fi convins. f. S-a hotărât ca proiectul să fie gata până la sfârşitul lunii. g. Ar fi bine să notezi aceste lucruri ca să nu le uiţi. h. Mi-e teamă să nu se strice vremea. i. Prefer să învăţ totul de la început. j. Mi s-a ordonat să-mi schimb programul de lucru. k. Oriunde ar lucra, ea întotdeauna va fi lăudată de toată lumea. l. Indiferent ce gândeşti despre mine nu-ţi dau rochia mea s-o porţi la bal. b. Când vom povesti întâmplarea asta, lumea are să râdă şi are să spună că nu ne-am lăsat de palavre vânătoreşti. Tu ce părere ai, Fram, prietene Fram?… Fram mormăi. Dacă ar fi ştiut să vorbească, ar fi povestit că mai cunoaşte el undeva, într-un trib eschimos, un copil care a păţit la fel şi, fără îndoială că s-a pomenit cu faima de cel mai mare mincinos, înainte încă de a deveni mare vânător. Mormăi. Se uită cu înţeles spre coliba unde se afla înăuntru cutia minunată care cânta – Ne roagă să dăm drumul la radio! Egon. Acesta este ursul cel mai amator de muzică din câţi am văzut eu în viaţă! Intră în cabană şi răsuci resortul. (Cezar Petrescu – Fram, ursul polar) B4. Conceive a composition on one of the following topics: a. Things you would rather do. b. If you were the first man on the moon, what would you write back home? c. Which are your secret wishes? C. Newspapers are publications usually issued on a daily or weekly basis, the main function of which is to report the news. Newspapers also provide commentary on the news, advocate various public policies, furnish special information and advice to readers, and sometimes include features such as comic strips, cartoons and serialised books. In nearly all cases and in varying degrees, they depend on the publication of commercial advertising for their income. Periodicals are publications released at regular intervals, often called journals, or referred to as magazines when designating those for recreational reading. Periodicals differ from the other major form of serial publication, newspapers. Most newspapers are issued daily on pulp paper and have relatively large, unbound pages; periodicals generally appear on finer paper, with smaller bound pages, and at intervals longer than a day (weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, or even annually). As a whole, periodicals feature, often exclusively, material of special interest to particular audiences. The contents of periodicals are often unrelated to current new stories; when dealing with the news, they tend to do so in the form of summaries or commentaries. C1. Answer the following questions: a. Do you regularly read newspapers? Which newspaper do you prefer? Why? b. Do you read any magazines? Which one do you like from the Romanian market? Why? c. If you were the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, what would you do to improve its circulation?

Which target-audience would you choose? d. Do you think Romanian newspapers and magazines are comparable to those in the Western

countries? Are they better, are they worse? Why?


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e. Which part of a newspaper would you rather write: the political columns, the social, the economic or the cultural ones? Which articles do you consider the most interesting in the Romanian newspapers?

f. What kind of magazine would you like to work for, one for entertainment, one specialised on politics, one for the teenagers, or one specialised on informatics? Can you give examples of these kinds of magazines on the Romanian market?

g. Would you like to be a journalist for the printed press? Why? h. Do you consider our written press to be a free one? Give reasons for or against it. C2. Read and translate the following text. Give examples for each type of newspaper or magazine described. Find the Romanian terms for the English words and phrases related to newspaper and magazine industries. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had something to tell about virtually everything, once said “the newspaper… does its best to make every square acre of land and sea give an account of itself at your breakfast table”. The newspaper industry is currently examining how well it fits with modern lifestyles and what it must do to keep and attract readers in an age in which competition for their time has become intense. Obviously, there are many ways to categorise an industry as diverse as this one. We group papers by frequency of publication (dailies and weeklies), by market size (national, large, medium and small) and, finally, by their appeal to specialised interest groups (for minority groups, students, professionals and shoppers). The departmental structure and staffing of a newspaper vary with its size, but all papers have certain common aspects. They have a publisher and are generally divided into three main departments: business (having the responsibility of keeping the paper financially solvent, with subdivisions as advertising, promotion and circulation), production (which prints the newspaper, with subdivisions as the composing room, where computers and phototypesetters are used to lay out the newspaper pages; the platemaking area, where surfaces that will reproduce the printed page are constructed; the press room, where ink actually meets paper), news-editorial, which has the task of conceiving the text (comprising a managing editor who supervises the wire editor, the sports editor, the society editor, the food editor, the entertainment editor as well as the city editor; the department also contains reporters, photographers, copyeditors and a rewrite desk). Getting out a newspaper is a twenty-four-hour-a-day job. News happens at all hours and many stories happen unexpectedly. Trying to cope with the never-ending flow of news and the constant pressure to keep it fresh, requires organisation and co-ordination among the paper’s staff. There are two basic sources of news copy: local reporting and the wire services. While the wire editor scans the output from the wire machines and the city editor checks his or her daily calendar, the managing editor handles the available space, called the newshole, that can be devoted to news in that day’s issue of the paper. As the day progresses, reporters return from assignments and write their news stories at the keyboard of a video-display terminal (VDT). The finished story is transmitted electronically to a computer, where it is stored. These stories are called up by copy editors, who trim and make changes and code the articles for use in the paper. The managing editor decides that the story is newsworthy and sends it back to the computer for processing. Decisions about page make up, the amount of space to be devoted to a story and the photographs are made as the deadline for publication appears. Meanwhile, in the composing room, high speed computerised photocomposition machines take electronic impulses and translate them into images and words. The stories are printed on strips of photographic paper and go to the make up room where they are


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pasted up into full newspaper pages. An offset plate is made by placing the negative between glass and a sheet of photosensitive metal and exposing the plate to bright light. Then, huge rolls of newsprint are threaded into the press and the printing process begins. Finished and folded papers are sent by the conveyor belt to the distribution area. If we try to classify magazines, we can divide them according to two criteria: after the target audience (general consumer magazines, business publications, literary reviews and academic journals, newsletters and public relations magazines) and after the three traditional components of manufacturing (production, distribution and retailing). A consumer magazine is one that can be acquired by anyone, through a subscription or a single-copy purchase or by obtaining a free store. Business magazines or trade publications serve a particular business industry or profession and are published by independent companies that are connected with the field they serve. Literary reviews and academic journals, generally with circulation under 10,000, are published by non-profit organisations and funded by universities, foundations or groups of professionals. Newsletters are publications of typically four to eight pages which try to give their readers inside information about highly specialised topics, establishing a personal tone between writer and reader. Public relations magazines are published by sponsoring companies and are designed to be circulated among the company’s employees, dealers, customers and stockholders. A second useful way of structuring the magazine industry is to divide it by function. The production function consists of approximately 2,000-3,000 publishers and encompasses all the elements necessary to put out a magazine – copy, art work, photos, titles, layout, printing and binding. The distribution function handles the job of getting the magazine to the reader, through paid or free (controlled) circulation. The retail function deals with the sellers, which may be corner newsstands, drugstores, supermarkets, tobacco shops, bookshops. A typical magazine is generally headed by a publisher who oversees four main departments: circulation (responsible for getting new readers and keeping current readers satisfied), composed by the subscription manager, who tries to increase the number of people on the magazine’s subscription list, the single-copy sales manager, who works with the national distributors, and the subscription fulfilment director, who makes sure that the magazine gets to subscribers; advertising and sales (putting together new programmes to enhance sales); production (concerned with printing and binding the publication); editorial (handling the non-advertising content of the magazine), directed by a managing editor. Producing a magazine requires a great deal of lead time. Most issues are planned several months or at least several weeks in advance. The first step in all magazine production is preliminary planning and the generation of ideas for upcoming issues. Once this step is completed, the managing editor starts assigning certain articles to staff writers or freelancers. The next step involves putting together a miniature dummy. A dummy is simply a plan or blueprint of the pages for the upcoming issue that shows the contents in their proper order. The printing of the magazine resembles that of the newspaper in the final stages. C3. Translate into English: a. Pentru aniversarea celor zece ani de la căderea Zidului Berlinului, ministrul federal german pentru problemele tineretului, Christine Bergmann, şi autorităţile noii capitale a Germaniei reunificate au invitat circa 1000 de tineri din Europa la o sărbătoare ce va dura mai multe zile şi care va avea punctul culminant pe 9 noiembrie, seara, de-a lungul urmei fostului Zid şi mai ales în faţa Porţii Brandenburg.


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În plan politic, foştii preşedinţi sovietic şi american, Mihail Gorbaciov şi George Bush, protagoniştii reunificării germane, fostul şi actualul cancelar, Helmut Kohl şi respectiv Gerhard Schroeder, vor lua cuvântul pe 9 noiembrie în Bundestag (camera inferioară a parlamentului german). În perioada 5-10 noiembrie, tineri cu vârste cuprinse între 16 şi 25 de ani, veniţi din Germania şi alte 24 de ţări europene, vor avea ocazia să cunoască oraşul şi istoria sa şi să discute mai ales cu martori direcţi ai căderii Zidului Berlinului. În zilele denumite de guvernul german Festivalul european al tineretului, tinerii vor asista la numeroase conferinţe privind rolul Berlinului în Europa şi relaţiile Est-Vest, având ocazia de a-şi face cunoscute opiniile privind edificarea în comun a continentului european, declara doamna Bergmann […]. (România Liberă, 4 noiembrie, 1999). b. Revoluţia din decembrie 1989 a adus în spaţiul cultural românesc o problemă puţin dezbătută: rolul elitelor în societate. Până la acel moment teoria socială şi politică avusese drept principale ţinte grupările socio-profesionale, structurile şi raporturile dintre clasele sociale. Dinamica socio-politică postdecembristă a scos la iveală insuficienţa unui asemenea tip de analiză. Diversitatea actorilor politici, coagularea raporturilor dintre liderii sau promotorii proceselor schimbării şi diversitatea structurii sociale ce se înfiripau în societatea deschisă de implozia totalitarismului, aduceau în prim planul reflecţiei sociale nevoia de nuanţare a discursului clasial. Şi aceasta întrucât, dincolo de clase şi categorii sociale, de acţiunea colectivă, spontană sau organisată, articularea structurilor politice democrate şi a societăţii civile a focalizat interesul social asupra aflării şi impunerii de lideri. Să ne amintim de sloganul începuturilor revoluţiei “Avem nevoie de un Havel al nostru”, care, în afara conotaţiilor antiiliesciene, a fost expresia ofertei reduse de personalităţi apte să-şi asume promovarea transformării radicale beneficiind, în acelaşi timp, de o acceptare socială convenabilă. Paradoxal, odată clamat, acest imperativ nu a fost prilej de compromis între personalităţi sau grupări politice aflate în centrul evoluţiilor politice. Dimpotrivă, orgoliul unora a prevalat în faţa oportunităţilor revoluţiei, iar sloganul şi-a accentuat repede trăsăturile luptei staliniste pentru putere, transformându-se practic în “Jos Iliescu!”. Revoluţia nu a fost furată ci a fost ratată, unele dintre “elitele” aflate la startul revoluţiei nefiind pregătite pentru a stăpâni complexitatea partiturii, au optat pentru aria învrăjbirii în speranţa de a-şi consolida poziţiile. (Alexandru Florian – “Elitele şi revoluţia”, in “Societate şi cultură”, 1/1998). C4. Read the following text and then answer the questions. […] The ongoing political and economic transformations in the Republic of Moldova have induced a process of reorganisation in the sphere of media and in the legal framework of the journalist work. The lack of proper legal regulation in the totalitarian era has made it practically impossible for the media to publish any critical information concerning the upper ruling circles and a whole range of social phenomena. The legislative vacuum engulfing the sphere of social life was affecting the media as well. In recent years, media situation has changed considerably. In the course of establishing a government of law, society could not disregard the media. There was an urgent need to establish a legal basis for the work of journalists. The recent political and social changes disclosed many social cankers: drugs, prostitution, organised crime, corruption in the upper levels of government, the existing problems of multiethnic relations, the decreasing social status of the language of the most numerous ethnic group in the country, the need to adopt the Latin alphabet, the suppression of various events and facts concerning the national history. The media were the first to sound the alarm; however, the response consisted in threats and


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accusations aimed at the most intrepid and honest journalists. The lack of media legislation was more than obvious. The long-awaited day came in 1999 with the adoption of the Press and Media Act (still within the former Soviet Union). On its ratification, the act came into effect in the Republic of Moldavia. This act eliminated the strict political control over the press and provided acceptable work conditions for the journalists. It established the freedom of media and the inadmissibility of censorship. Now there was more freedom, but the responsibility of the editorial staff and the author for the published information increased as well. Nevertheless, the freedom of press is not absolute. The press is prohibited from disclosure of state secrets, propaganda of war, cruelty, and violence, race, national, and religious discrimination. Another important point is the legalisation of the right to publishing. The act established that media may be founded by government agencies, lawfully acting parties and organisations, as well as by private persons of legal age. The act also regulated the relations between editors and founders, editors and authors, stipulating also the right of the editors to collect information. Thus, conditions were set to grant freedom of speech and freedom of press and to give all power structures the opportunity to propagate their views through the mass media. This legislative act was in line with the requirements of the respective historical period, laying the foundations of a further legislative progress in the sphere of mass media […]. (“Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press in the Republic of Moldova”, by Alla Byelostechnik, Chisinau, in “Balkan Media”, the first media magazine of the Balkans, vol. V, no. 2, summer 1996/1997). Questions: a. What changed in the Moldavian legislation concerning media in the beginning of the 90’s? b. Was it easy for the Moldavian journalists to do their job? What difficulties did they encounter? c. What were the main provisions of the Press and Media Act of 1990 in Moldova? d. Was this law all that the journalists needed to protect their work conditions? e. Do you think it is easy to work as a journalist in a small former communist country? C5. Accomplish a table with the best, the most well known and the most circulated newspapers in Romania. Use as a model the table of the most famous U.S.-British international publications: • The International Herald Tribune, with a worldwide circulation of about 170,000, published

by the New York Times and the Washington Post, headquartered in France. The paper has recently celebrated its hundredth anniversary.

• U.S.A. Today International, a newcomer to the scene, with a circulation of about 40,000, a Gannett-owned paper, read most of all by U.S. citizens travelling abroad.

• WorldPaper, published by the World Times Company in Boston, distributed as a newspaper supplement in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, with a circulation of 650,000.

• The Financial Times of London, specialised in economic news, with a circulation of about 300,000.

• The Economist, based in London, carrying financial news and analyses, easily available in the United States, with about 300,000 readers.

• The Wall Street Journal, international editions for Europe and Asia, reaching about 75,000 people.


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D. Vocabulary practice. D1. Explain the following words and phrases: circulation, gossip, domestic, foreign, front page, back page, inside page, top of the page, bottom of the page, cover, supplement, incident, accident, event, editorial, comment, announcement, report, refutation, serial, cross-word puzzle, journalist, correspondent, reporter, editor, compositor, printer, reader, subscriber. D2. Do the following exercises: a. Match the words on the left with the correct definitions. 1. obituary 2. leader 3. horoscope 4. review 5. gossip column 6. headline 7. deadline 8. cartoon

A. critical assessment of a book, film B. leading editorial article C. regular article about celebrities D. announcement of a death, with a short

biography E. phrase or title at the top of an article F. humorous or satirical drawing G. time limit for reporting news H. prediction of someone’s future according

to the sign in the zodiac b. Supply the suitable words: A person who sends news, articles, reports to a newspaper is called ……….. who looks through the manuscript of an article, corrects it, suggests changes and prepares it for printing is called ……….. who sets up type for printing is called ……….. who buys a newspaper, magazine regularly is called ……….. who is engaged in publishing, editing or working for a newspaper is called ……….. D3. Insert in the blanks the right word: a. We should consider the major changes in ……….that were prompted by the success of the mass press during the 1833-1860 period. In short, we can identify four such changes. The ……….press, sold for a penny daily, changed the basis of economic support for ………., the pattern of the newspaper ………., the definition of what constituted ……….and the ……….of news collection. Before the penny press, most of a newspaper’s economic support came from ……….revenue. The large circulation of the penny press made ……….realise that they could reach a large segment of potential ……….by purchasing space. Moreover, the ……….of the popular papers cut across political ……….and social ……….lines, thereby assuring a ……….advertiser of a broadly based


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audience. As a result, advertisers were greatly attracted to this new ……….and the ……….newspapers relied significantly more on advertising revenues than did their predecessors. The missing words are the following: distribution, buyers, potential, mass, penny, subscription, class, medium, readership, techniques, advertisers, newspapers, news, party, journalism. b. Appearing with the consolidation trend and enjoying a short but lively reign was ……….journalism. At the end of World War I, the United States found itself facing a decade of prosperity: the ……….twenties. The radio, Hollywood, the airplane, prohibition and Al Capone were all ……….that captured national attention. It was perhaps inevitable that ……….would reflect the times. The papers that best exemplified jazz journalism all sprang up in New-York between 1919 and 1929; all were characterised by two features: they were ………., printed on a page that was about one half the size of a normal newspaper page; they were all richly illustrated with ……….. The New-York Daily News had a slow start but by 1924 ……….on. Its tabloid size was easier for the people to ……….while reading on buses and ……….; it abounded with photos and ……….; writing style was simple and ……….. The “News” also blended a large portion of ………. with its news. Comic ………., gossip ………., advice to the lovers, ………. and sports were given large chunks of space. The missing words are the following: horoscopes, roaring, subways, gossip, jazz, tabloids, caught, handle, topics, photographs, cartoons, newspapers, strips, short, entertainment. D4. Translate into English, using the verbs to earn, to gain and to win: a. Cât câştigi la firma aceea? b. Câştigă bine, are o casă mare şi o maşină frumoasă. c. Nu câştigi nimic dacă nu spui adevărul. d. A câştigat premiul întâi la concursul de informatică. e. E un tip interesant, a câştigat faimă internaţională cu invenţia lui. f. I-a câştigat încrederea, a angajat-o ca secretară particulară. g. Trebuie să facem ceva să câştigăm timp. h. Finala a fost câştigată la puncte. i. Câştigătorii vor primi câte un bilet de călătorie gratuit. j. Îşi câştigă existenţa cum poate, nu se descurcă grozav. Remember the following phrases: to earn good money/small salary, to earn a living, to gain time/respect/recognition/nothing by doing something, to win a contest/a seat/fame/the wooden spoon.


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VI. THE RADIO AND THE TELEVISION

A. Searching for a job Of all the things you do in life, few are more important than getting a job. Whether it involves your first job or one further down your career path, job seeking is directly related to your success and your happiness. It is vital that you conduct the job search properly, that you prepare wisely and carefully and proceed diligently. You can begin your job search long before you are ready to find employment, building relationships with people who could help you find work when you need it. Such persons include classmates, professors and business people. When you are ready to search for your career job, you should begin the effort by analysing yourself, your potential and abilities, your desires and ideals and the real opportunities on the market. You should take into account education, personal qualities and special qualifications, but in the same time the requirements of the possible employers. The stages from picking up a desired position to getting a certain job comprise writing the application letter (as we described it in the previous course) and eventually completing the application form, writing the Curriculum Vitae and sustaining the interview. If your self-analysis and your behaviour during the stages were well established and well prepared, then you have received the job you were looking for. The following steps form an ideal chain in the process of applying for a job. Which of them do you think you could skip in reality?

You identify what you do well and enjoy doing

You read an advertisementfor a job that interests you

You network, i.e. you make suitable contacts in your field of interest

You write an application form and a job-specification (fuller details of the post)

You complete an application form, write an application letter and a C.V.

You receive a letter saying that you have been shortlisted, i.e. selected for interview

You receive a letter saying that you have not been shortlisted, i.e. you have not been invited for interview

You attend the interview

You receive a letter offering you a job

You receive a letter telling you the position has been filled

You write a letter accepting the offer of a job or declining the job


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A1. Curriculum Vitae is an essential part of your job hunting. There are many ways of writing it and on the following pages you will discover two of them. The first one is very detailed and it describes your abilities and training widely, but it is not very comfortable for the future employer as he could have to read many CVs in a short period of time and he would need synthetic presentations. The second one is very easily readable and systematic, but maybe it does not always tell all the important things about you.

CURRICULUM VITAE I. PERSONAL DATA Surname: ……… First name: ……… Date and place of birth: ……… Address: ……… Civil status: single/married/divorced/widow(-er) II. EDUCATION - 19… - I graduated the ……… Highschool in ……… - 19…, June - I graduated the ……… Faculty at the ………University in………, ……… specialty, with a final rate of …%. The courses I attended at the above-mentioned faculty included: ……… - in the year 19… I graduated the Master courses organised by the ………Faculty at the ………University in ………, specialty ……… The courses included: ……… - in 19… (month) I attended a course in ……… about ……… and I received a diploma in ……… III. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE - 19…, (month)-19…, (month) - I worked, as a ……… (position), at ………(institution). My responsibilities included: - ……… - ……… - ………(month)19…-present - transferred, after a contest, at ……… (institution), where I am working as ………. My responsibilities include: - ……… - ……… IV. FOREIGN LANGUAGES - English - fluent, both in oral and written communication - French - medium level, oral and written V. COMPUTERS - knowledge of operation in Windows, Norton Commander, Word for Windows, Excel, Word Perfect - knowledge of operation in Internet VI. INTERESTS - ……… - ……… VII. HOBBIES - ……… - ………


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VIII. REFERENCES Available on request.

CURRICULUM VITAE 1. Family name: ……… 2. First names: ……… 3. Date of birth: ……… 4. Nationality and Passport No: ROMANIAN - ……… 5. Civil status: ……… 6. Contact address: ……… tel.: +40 ……… 7. Education: Institution Faculty of ……… Date: from (month/year): to (month/year)

October 19… October 19…

Degree(s) or Diploma(s): Bachelor of Arts Institution Faculty of ……… Date: from (month/year): to (month/year)

October 19… October 19…

Degree(s) or Diploma(s): Master of Arts in ……… Institution University of ……… - Faculty of ……… Date: from (month/year): to (month/year)

October 19… May 19…

Degree(s) or Diploma(s): Post-graduate in ……… 8. Language skills: (Mark 1 to 5 for competence) Language Reading Speaking Writing Romanian Mother tongue English 5 5 5 French 5 4 3

9. Membership of professional bodies: - ……… 10. Other skills: computer literate 11. Present position: ……… 12. Years within the firm: ……… 13. Key qualifications: - ……… 14. Professional Experience Record: Date: from (month/year) to (month/year)

October 19… June 19…

Location ………, Romania Company ……… Position ………


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Description ……… (what your tasks are) 15. Others:

- dynamic, pro-active - good communication/organisational skills

A2. Interview Myths. Here are some assumptions about job interviews, some correct, some not. Decide which of them are real tips for success in an interview situation. 1. a. While waiting in the office, you should just sit and wait to be called.

b. I can predict and prepare for 80% of the questions the interviewer will ask me. Preparation will help me do well. c. If the interviewer asks me if I have any negative points or weaknesses I should indicate that I have none. d. It is perfectly acceptable to call the employer within two weeks of submitting my job application materials to ask when I might expect to hear about the final decision. They often fail to do that. e. The most important time of the interview is the last five minutes, when I discuss salary, ask about hiring decision and close the interview. f. I should keep my answers as short as possible, so the interviewer will have time to ask more questions. g. I can also ask questions regarding the organisation of the company. h. I should say that I am looking for a job which can offer me greater challenge and more opportunities for using my skills. i. Most employers issue invitations to interview by phone.

2. a. My job interview begins as soon as I walk through the office door. As I might be under observation all the time, I could ask the secretary some friendly questions about the organisation, in case they ask her opinion about me.

b. The interviewer is the only one who can ask questions. c. Be tactful, by turning a possible negative situation into a positive one. For example, “I tend to

neglect my family because I often work too late.” d. I should mind how I look and sit. What the interviewer thinks about me in the first minutes

will set the tone of the interview. e. I cannot prepare for an interview because: I do not know if I will get an interview; I do not

know what the interviewer will ask; actually, once I am invited to an interview, I almost have a job.

f. Once I submit my application papers for the job, the proper thing to do is to wait until I hear from the employer.

g. The interviewer is looking for thoughtful answers that indicate some depth on my part. So I should go from general responses to specifics that indicate my depth of knowledge and interest.

h. If asked why I am leaving my job, I should criticise my colleagues or say I find my present work boring and underpaid.

i. Invitations to interviews normally come by letter or telegram. A3. Read and translate the following interview, paying attention to the things people say to each

other in this official situation. Then try to simulate your answers to the questions comprised in


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the interview. Do you think your answers could be firmer and better prepared? Why do you think the interviewers liked the fellow and, even though he seemed hesitating sometimes, in the end they were about to decide that he was the proper person for the job? What do you think a possible employer would appreciate the most in your attitude? Which quality would you like to stress as being your dominant feature? Why?

Secretary: Oh, Mr. John Pilgrim, would you go in now, please? John P.: Oh, me? Yes, right. Mr. Rich: You are Mr. Pilgrim, aren’t you? John P.: Yes, that’s right. Mr. Rich: Well, do sit down. My name is Rich, I am the assistant to the managing director;

these two gentlemen are Mr. Hard, the Personnel Manager and Mr. Frost, one of our executives. Now, Mr. Pilgrim, I would like you to tell us what is it that makes you want to come and work with us.

John P.: Well, I have always wanted to work in a television station and I’ve noticed that yours is one of the best at the moment …

Mr. Rich: Yes? John P.: Well, I know that your talkshows and entertainment programmes are very

professionally accomplished and that you have very skilled employees who are also able to work in teams.

Mr. Rich: Well, it is true, but there are many aspects of a job in television that you have not considered yet. But, if you did come and work for us, you’d soon learn about them. I’m sure, Mr. Hard, that you’ve got a lot of things you want to ask Mr. Pilgrim.

Mr. Hard: Yes, I wanted to ask some questions about yourself that don’t come out clearly in your application. Why did you wait so long before deciding to further your education after you left school?

John P.: Well, I was short of confidence, really. It was not until later that I thought to myself: well, if others can get on, why shouldn’t I?

Mr. Frost: Good for you! You didn’t really like to work in a library? John P.: It was quite pleasant, but not very demanding. Then … I thought of becoming a

public communicator, I went to a faculty and here I am. Mr. Frost: You’d have to do some pretty basic jobs here, you know, if we accepted you as a

trainee. John P.: Yes, but that would be different. Then I’d know where I was going, Mr. Hard: Well, Mr. Pilgrim, that’s all for the time being. Could you wait outside for a bit,

please? We’ll call you in again later. Mr. Hard: Well, gentlemen, what do you think? Mr. Frost: Well, I liked the chap, I think he knows what he’s after now, I’d recommend taking

him on and giving him a try. A4. Translate and bear in mind the following words and phrases. Try to make sentences with them: What sort of jobs do you know? There are full-time jobs, part-time jobs, high-paid jobs, low-paid jobs, attractive jobs, dull jobs, clerical jobs, odd jobs, risky jobs, humble jobs, dirty jobs.


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When applying for a job, what will you have to do? I have to fill in an application form, send in qualification documents, sustain a test, undergo probation of personal abilities, examine a job description, sustain an interview and undergo medical examination. What should the employee information system contain? It should contain controls to monitor leave and absenteism, checks to ensure pay increases, decreases and promotions, review of job descriptions, applications and interview notes, medical history and records, time sheets, attendance records (sick time, vacation, overtime), employment history (promotions, transfers, grievances). B. Modal Verbs B1. Modal verbs express the attitude of the speaker in what concerns the process of communication in progress, in development, the action being considered possible, probable, obligatory, desirable, etc. (example: It might rain later. S-ar putea să plouă mai târziu). There are two types of modal verbs in English: a. notional verbs expressing manner (want, wish, order, oblige, advise, intend, mean, prefer,

etc.) which act like normal verbs (He wants to see the play. Don’t oblige him to do this.) b. defective modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, have to, should, ought to, would, shall,

will, need, dare; e.g. He can play the piano), which also express manner, but formally have certain characteristics:

1. they are defective, that is they lack certain verbal forms. Accordingly, they can not be used

at all the moods and tenses, most of them having only indicative, present and past tense (can – present tense, could – past tense; may – present tense, might – past tense). Some of them have only indicative, present tense (must). That is why they have equivalents to express the other moods and tenses (can – to be able to; may – to be allowed/permitted to; must – to have to).

2. they do not receive –s/-es at the third person singular (example: He must see this play). 3. they form the interrogative and negative without the aid of auxiliary verbs, in the style of

auxiliary verbs (example: Must you do this? She cannot speak English). 4. they are followed by the short infinitive of the notional verbs (except ought to).

Verb

Meanings Examples

Can - physical or intellectual ability - permission - possibility - polite request

I can ski now, I’ve learnt it. Can I borrow your umbrella? You can ski, there is enough snow. Can you wait a little?

Could - abilities in the past - more polite request

I could ski when I was a kid. Could you come with me?

May - requiring or granting permission

May I go out? No, you may not.


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Might - past tense of may - more polite request

He said he might come. Might I use your phone?

Must - obligation I must stay in bed, I’ve got flu. Should - moral obligation

- advice

You should meet him, he is your friend. You should not do this.

Ought to - obligation or duty (synonym of should)

You ought to finish the book before going on holiday.

Would - polite request Would you do me a favour? Shall - intentionality (the strong will

of another person than the subject imposed on the subject)

(I say) you shall finish your studies!

Will - intentionality (the strong will of the subject imposed on the others)

I will do this if I want to!

Need - necessity Why need she stay home for the holidays?

Dare - having the courage to do something

How dare you contradict me?

All the defective modal verbs have besides the proper meaning another one which could be possibility, probability, certainty. The strongest one from this point of view is must (example: He has left an hour ago, so he must be at home now), then there follow shall, will, should, would, can, could, may, might. Might is the most uncertain, improbable (example: I might come with you tomorrow, but I don’t think so). B2. Do the following exercises: a. Fill in the blanks with modal verbs: 1. As the others insist on it you ………as they say. 2. You ………go to Predeal, you look very tired. 3. “You ………finish your work before going on holiday”. “I know I………”. 4. I ………take these pills three times a day. 5. You ………smoke cigars, they will ruin your health. 6. I want to get thinner. What ………I do? You ………see a doctor about it. 7. You ……… stop drinking, or else you will get drunk. 8. If you ………kindly wait here, I‘ll look for him. 9. I expected him to be reasonable, but he ………listened to me. b. Rewrite the following sentences beginning with “He said”, “He didn’t know”: 1. What will John do about it? 2. You can go there if you try. 3. May I leave the room now? 4. Will you come to my place tomorrow? 5. I must see him immediately. 6. You needn’t do such a bad thing. 7. Can I come with you? 8. You must read this book. 9. You shall go to the university. 10. Must I attend the meeting?


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B3. Translate into English: a. 1. Mai bine ai sta acasă până te simţi mai bine. 2. Trecuse de miezul nopţii şi am propus să plecăm, dar el nici nu voia să audă. 3. Aş prefera să nu-ţi spun ce ştiu despre el. 4. Fereastra nu se deschide, trebuie să o repari. 5. Ar trebui să te duci la concert, de ce să-l pierzi? 6. Să răspund la telefon? 7. Îmi pare rău, nu s-ar fi cuvenit să spun asta. 8. Nu îndrăzni să le povesteacă prietenilor întâmplarea de teamă să nu râdă de el. 9. Trebuie să mă duc acolo chiar acum? Nu, nu este nevoie. 10. Eram sigură că prietenul meu nu va avea curajul să-mi spună ce gândeşte. b. Stau deseori pe un scaun în cârciuma mea preferată, să beau un pahar de bere şi să citesc ziarul de seară. Abia dă cu ochii de mine, când Tom îşi trage scaunul lângă al meu şi începe: “Poate am dreptate, sau poate greşesc”, spune el, “dar e un lucru pe care trebuie să-l admit, Elena e sigur cea mai drăguţă fată din lume!” Rareori mă iartă de povara de a-l asculta. Câteodată îmi vine să-i zic: “Hei, bătrâne, mai curând mi-aş citi ziarul decât să te ascult”, dar de obicei nu mă lasă inima să-i spun. Îmi zic doar mie: “Chiar trebuie să vorbească atât de mult despre ea? De ce uită că există o limită a drepturilor prieteniei şi că prietenii nu ar trebui să devină atât de groaznic de plicticoşi? Ar trebui să existe o lege împotriva acestui lucru. Cât despre mine, dacă stau să îl ascult de fiecare dată cănd mă duc la cărciumă, nu-mi rămîne decăt un singur lucru de făcut, să-mi schimb cârciuma. Şi apoi nici nu mă interesează frumuseţea Elenei. Sigur, nu îndrăznesc să-i spun toate astea lui Tom. B4. Translate the following into Romanian: Daughter: I’m getting chilled to the bone – what can Freddy be doing all this time? he has been gone twenty minutes. Mother: Not so long. But he ought to have got us a cab by this time. We must have a cab. We can’t stand here until half past eleven. It’s too bad. D: If Freddy had a bit of gumption, he could get us a cab at the theatre door. M: What could he have done, poor boy? D: Other people got cabs. Why couldn’t he? (Freddy rushes in out of the rain). D: Well, haven’t you got a cab? Freddy : There isn’t one to be had for love or money. M: Oh, Freddy, there must be one. You can’t have tried. F: The rain was so sudden, everybody had to take a cab. M: You really are very helpless, Freddy, go again. F: I’ll simply get soaked for nothing. D: And what about us? Are we to stay here all night with next to nothing on? (George Bernard Show, Pygmalion) C. Broadcasting is a major industry in most nations, and popular entertainment, news and educational programmes are transmitted directly into people’s homes. Because it represents a critical national resource for communicating information and culture, and because the electromagnetic spectrum allows for only a limited number of broadcast stations, virtually all nations regulate their broadcasting within their borders. Many nations operate their broadcasting systems through a ministry of communications. In some countries where it is believed that broadcasting is an independent voice, tax revenues support a public broadcasting authority that is


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independent of the government. Other countries simply license private broadcasters who make their profits by selling advertising time, or they permit a mixed system of commercial and publicity supported stations. Mass communication, mass media, either written or electronic, marketing and advertisement, image building, public relations are rules of the game being called “market economy” or “customer-oriented economy”, which is, at its turn, part of Western Europe and American capitalist civilisation nowadays. So that we must think of them, we must judge them and analyse them in the context of contemporary societies. C1. Answer the following questions: a. What do you prefer, radio or television? Why? Which are the main features of each of them? b. If you had money, what would you found? A radio station or a television station? Which one

could bring you more money back? Why? c. Which radio programme do you like? What is it about? d. Which television programme do you like? Is it for information or entertainment? e. Do you think Romanian radio and television programmes can be compared with the ones in

foreign countries? Why? f. If you were the general director of a new-born television station, how would you explain, at the

prompting press conference, the need for a new television? Which would be the target audience?

g. What kind of programme would you like to be the showman of? Why? h. Which do you think is the most informative, radio or television? But the most entertaining? But

the most educative? i. Do you think at the moment the Romanian legislation is developed enough to allow a free

market of radio and television stations, with an open competition? Do you think market is full now or there are certain needs of the people which are not fulfilled?

j. How much is your life influenced by the boom of information through electronic media? C2. Read and translate the following text, remember the new words, specific for this field, and comment upon the differences and resemblance between the two media. Compare this description with the one in the previous course, concerning newspapers and magazines. Write an essay about the importance of written and electronic media in the last century. Radio is everywhere, in the bedrooms, in kitchens, in cars, in offices, on city streets, on beaches, at ball games. It is ubiquitous. There are local radio stations, which operate in cities, towns and villages across the countries, and national radio stations. Programming for stations is provided by networks and by programme syndication companies, the distinction between them being that all stations on a net carry the net programme at the same time, while syndicated programming is carried at different times by different stations. Radio stations speak in two voices. Stations are either AM or FM. AM stands for amplitude modulation, one way of transmitting a radio wave, and FM stands for frequency modulation, another form of transmission. All physical factors being equal, radio signals sent by AM travel farther, especially at night, than signals sent by FM. This is because


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AM radio waves bounce off a layer of the earth’s atmosphere called the ionosphere and back to the ground. AM stations are classified by channels, and there are three possible channels: clear (with a single dominant station that is designed to provide service over a wide area), regional (shared by many stations that serve fairly large areas) and local (shared by large numbers of stations that broadcast only for their local communities). Perhaps the most meaningful way we can organise radio stations is according to their format, a type of consistent programming designed to appeal to a certain segment of the audience. The music format is the largest category and it includes many subdivisions and variations, like adults, contemporary (AC) and contemporary hit radio (CHR). The talk format attracts listeners in the thirty-five-to-sixty-five-years-old age group. Common types of programmes that appear on stations using the talk format are interview shows featuring well-known guests, advice shows, call-in shows. The news format emphasises information. National, regional and local news reports are broadcast periodically throughout the day, with sports, weather, editorials, public affair programmes. The departmental structure of a radio station varies according to its size. At the top there is a general manager, who coordinates four departments, sales, programmes, news and engineering. The sales department is run by a sales manager, the programme department is headed by a programme director and comprises announcers, production and the music library, in the news department there are newscasters, reporters and writers under the guidance of a news director and in the engineering department the chief engineer conducts the staff engineers and the maintenance personnel. Radio programmes are put together by the station’s programme director who lays out the format wheel (or the format clock), which is simply a pie chart of an hour divided into segments representing different programme elements. Radio stations earn their money by selling advertising time. The amount that a radio station charges for time is included in its rate card. Like the television industry, the radio industry has three different sources of income from the sales of commercial time. The first comes from the sales of spots on network programmes to national advertisers trying to reach a broad market, the second is the sale of time on local stations to advertisers who wish to reach a specific region and the third is advertising purchased by local establishments that want their commercials to be heard only in the immediate community. In the case of television, people have many choices, from cable to independent stations, from satellite transmissions to superstations. There are commercial television systems, consisting in all those local stations whose income is derived from selling time on their facilities to the advertisers, and noncommercial systems, consisting of those stations whose income is derived from sources other than the sale of advertising time. As for the radio, there are three sources of production and programming, local, syndicated and network. Contractual arrangements take different forms. In a straight cash deal, the station pays a fee for the right to show the programme a specified number of times and retains the rights to sell all the commercial spots available in the programme. In a cash plus barter deal, the station pays a reduced fee for the programme but gives up some commercial spots to the syndication company, which, in turn, sells the spots to the national advertisers. In a straight barter arrangement, no money changes hands but the syndicator keeps more commercial minutes to sell nationally, leaving fewer spots for the local station to sell. One important difference between TV stations is a technical one. Some TV stations are licensed to broadcast in the very high frequency (VHF) band of the electromagnetic spectrum, others broadcast in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) part of the spectrum. VHF stations have a signal that covers greater distances than UHF systems.


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Regarding the organisation, at the top of the chart is the general manager, the person ultimately responsible for all station activities. The rest of the staff is divided into five different compartments. The sales department is responsible for selling time to local and national advertisers, scheduling ads and sending bills to customers. Maintaining all the technical equipment is the responsibility of the engineering department. The production department puts together locally produced programming, comprising producers, directors, camerapersons, artists and announcers. The news department includes the news director, anchorpeople, reporters and writers responsible for the station’s newscasts. The administrative department aids the station manager in running the station. Under this umbrella are included legal counsel, secretarial help, personnel, accounting, and bookkeeping subsidiaries. Producing television programmes ranges from the incredibly simple – two chairs placed in front of a camera for an interview show – to the incredibly complex – million of dollars and hundred of people. Anyhow, everything functions according to a script, a planning of the story, the work of the reporters who write the copy and of the editors who prepare the videotape segments. One important consideration is audience flow, which is calculated from one period of transmission to the next. Mindful to this, programmers tend to schedule similar programmes back to back so as not to interrupt the flow (for example, when one television series is finished, it is followed by another of the same kind). Another principle could be counterprogramming, airing a programme designed to appeal to a different segment of the audience than those on competing stations (for example transmitting a show for women while the other stations transmit sports for men). Radio and television have been the most important communication devices this century. Even though radio has somehow decreased because of the prevalence of television and even though there have appeared many other modern and fast means of communication during this century, like videoplayers, Internet, E-mail, people still mostly listen to the radio and watch TV when they want to keep informed with the hottest news, when they desire to be entertained and forget about their daily problems and even when they think they have nothing else to do or are too tired to do something else. We have lived for half a century in a society of radio transmissions, we are now living in a society of television, with Peg Bundy as the most important character. What is going to be next, for the 21st century? C3. Translate into English and comment upon the following text: Suscitate de televiziune, controversele asupra efectelor mediilor audiovizuale au continuat să agite spiritele. Unele persoane au rămas obsedate de teama că televiziunea, prin impactul direct şi masiv al mesajelor, amalgamează sistemele de valori şi criteriile aprecierilor estetice, ducând la degradarea vieţii culturale, iar pe de altă parte, că aceasta îndeplineşte mai curând o funcţie conservatoare, în sensul că este utilizată de telespectator pentru a-şi confirma opiniile şi valorile existente mai curând decât pentru a le schimba. Televiziunea, se subliniază adeseori, are efecte puternice, dar acţionează preponderent în direcţia conservării atitudinilor şi valorilor dominante ale sistemului. C4 .Translate the following text and then summarise it in your own words, paying attention to the succession of stages in the evolution of the electronic media. Do you agree with the sharing? Can you suggest your own sharing?


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Historians identify four stages in the evolution of broadcast programming. The first covers the debut of commercial radio in the 1920s. Having no precedents, experiments and entrepreneurs were unsure about what kinds of programmes people would like to hear. Radio attracted thousands of personalities from many fields. Commercials were brief and discrete. The second period is called “the golden age of radio”, beginning with 1928. At the time, the airwaves were filled with action and adventure, with vaudeville comedy, and the first entertainers appeared. The third stage of programming lasted from 1945 until the early 1950s, when television began its explosive growth. Unlike that of radio, the debut of television was free from confusion about what constituted effective programming. Television was perceived as “radio with pictures” and the structure of the industry was modelled on those of radio; performers and executives were drawn from radio. At the beginning of the fourth stage, the golden age of television, the reconstituted radio programmes dominated the television ratings. The variety show was the most popular programme, then the action-adventure programmes took over. C5. Accomplish a table with the best, the most well known radio and television stations in Romania. Use as a model the table of the most famous international broadcasters: • The Voice of America, now with its fifth decade of operation, broadcasts news, editorials,

features and music in more than forty languages. The VOA estimates that more than 120 million people in Central and Eastern Europe listen to their programmes

• The World Service of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has a worldwide reputation for accurate and impartial newscasts because, at least, it is independent of government ownership. Along with the news, the BBC also carries an impressive line-up of music, drama, comedy, sports and light features,

• Deutsche Welle (DW) , “German Wave”, broadcasts about 800 hours per week in 26 languages. DW transmitters are located in Germany, Africa and Asia.

D. Vocabulary practice D1. Find in the dictionary as many names of professions and trades you know and then make sentences with them. Try to group these jobs in groups so that they should refer to the same group of activities. Describe which part of the field each word covers. D2. Fill in the blanks: Motion pictures and … … … are possible because of two… … … of the human perceptional system: the phi phenomenon and the persistence of … … …The phi phenomenon refers to what happens when a person sees one light… … …go out while another one close to the original is illuminated. To our eyes, it looks like the light is actually… … … from one source to another. In persistence of vision, our eyes continue to see an image for a … … … second after the image has actually disappeared from view. These are the missing words: quirk, source, television, split, vision, moving


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D3. Remember the following words and phrases. Try to make sentences with them, bearing in mind the most suitable contexts for them: Electronic media: radio, wireless set, tape-recorder, cassette recorder, record player, transistor, walkie-talkie, hi-fi/stereo equipment. Wave lengths: short, medium, long, ultra-short, VHF. Activities for radio and television: to broadcast, to be on the air, to turn/switch on/off, to turn down the volume, to listen to, to turn over to another channel. What is wrong with your TV set? Flashing; hissing; stripes on the screen, it has atmospherics, distortion of the picture, the pictures go blank. D4. Translate they following sentences, paying attention to the verbs to rise and to raise: 1. Ultimul congres al partidului de guvernământ şi-a închis şedinţa. 2. Micii întreprinzători au reuşit să scoată din sărăcie numeroase familii americane în secolul

trecut. 3. La ultima şedinţă, nimeni nu a ridicat nici o pretenţie referitoare la data următoarei întrevederi. 4. Pentru a contracta un împrumut, orice firmă trebuie să prezinte o documentaţie riguroasă. 5. Mă tem că această problemă s-a ridicat şi în anii precedenţi, dar nu a avut nici un ecou. 6. Şi-a făcut o mulţime de duşmani din cauza felului său arogant de a fi. 7. Deşi se trezeşte foarte devreme, întârzie aproape de fiecare dată. 8. Se spune că marile companii americane au ridicat mulţi preşedinţi la putere. 9. Această persoană reuşeşte întotdeauna să se ridice la înălţimea situaţiei. 10. Astăzi este tot mai greu să fii în ton cu moda. Remember the following phrases: To rise to the occasion, to rise late, to rise above the prejudices, to rise in the world, to raise somebody to power, to raise somebody from poverty, to raise a question/ an objection/ a claim/ a loan/ money/ capital, to raise up enemies.


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VII. REVISION

A. Communication tasks 1. Write a short letter to Professor Jane Baker of Oxford University to thank her for leading the

workshop you organised at the faculty in Bucharest. Mention that you hope to invite her next year to talk about another aspect of the same topic.

2. A friend recently recommended a holiday company for particular destination. You took his advice and had a wonderful holiday. Write a note to thank him for his recommendation and describe one or two highlights of the holiday.

3. The local newspaper published an article about your sister recently. Unfortunately, many of the details in the article were incorrect. Write to the editor explaining the inaccuracies and asking for a few lines in next week’s paper to set the record straight.

4. Write a note inviting a friend to stay for the weekend and suggesting some places you might visit together.

5. Explain what the two candidates for jobs described bellow ignore: a. A nineteen years old Romanian was fretting restlessly in the secretary’s office of a firm,

nervously biting his nails. He was waiting for his first job interview. When his turn came, however, the secretary said that the interview was off.

b. It was his first Christmas in Jamestown and Dan was very happy. He had received ten confirmation calls to the 60 CVs he had sent to would-be employers. All callers had hung up with “we’ll keep in touch after Christmas”. But Christmas had passed for a long time and Dan is still waiting for his first job interview.

6. If you were an interviewer, in which order would you ask questions on the issues bellow: • ways of improving company activities • present duties • reasons for applying and educational background • leadership position

7. Write a letter of application to an advertising company which has published in the local newspaper the specifications for the position of copywriter.

8. Write a C.V. to be put on the Internet for all those who offer scholarships to the students in social communication and public relations.

9. Write a letter of application for the job of head of a certain department in a television (mention which one), and enclose your C.V. Be as convincing as possible.

10. Discuss all the necessary documents to be sent to a firm for employment. Explain why you have to send each of them.

B. Grammar tests. B1. Translate into English: Ar trebui să-l scrie. Trebuie să-l scrie. A putut să-l scrie. Se poate să-l fi scris. Probabil că l-a scris. Ar fi putut să-l scrie. Poate să-l scrie. Va putea să-l scrie. Ar putea să-l scrie. Va trebui să-l scrie. S-ar putea să-l scrie. Ar fi trebuit să-l scrie. Nu era nevoie să-l scrie. Nu i s-a permis să-l scrie.


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B2. Translate the following text and comment upon the modal verbs in italic: Strether hesitated. “No – she’s not well, I’m sorry to have to tell you”. “Ah”, said Chad, “I must have had the instinct of it. All the more reason then that we should start straight off”. Strether had now got together hat, gloves and stick, but Chad had dropped on the sofa as if to show he wished he would make his point. He kept observing his companion’s things; he might have been judging how quickly they could be packed. He might even have wished to hint that he would send his own servant to assist. B3. Provide an alternative sentence beginning with the words in bold: a. I think he should leave at once. It’s time ………… b. John thinks he knows all the answers. He talks as if ………… c. I would like you to clean the blackboard instead of telling jokes. I’d rather ………… d. Why didn’t you tell me first thing in the morning? I wish ………… e. My sister is getting married to a crook. I hope she’ll change her mind. If only………… f. John wants to play the piano in order to earn money. He wants to play the piano in order that

………… g. I will tell him the truth to avoid being punished. I’ll tell the truth for fear that ………… h. Go change that dress immediately! I insist that ………… i. It would be better for you not to obey the order. You had better ………… j. How about teaching them a lesson? I suppose ………… B4. Choose the correct form: 1. What do you usually do in your free time?

a. I am swimming and reading a lot. b. I go swimming and do a lot of reading. c. I have been swimming and reading a lot. d. I am always reading and swimming.

2. Why do you feel so tired now? a. I have been working too much recently. b. We painted our flat. c. I am being ill so I am receiving treatment. d. I have got a flu.

3. Thank you for the lovely dinner. This roast … … … a. tastes superb. b. is tasting superb. c. has superb taste. d. has been tasting superb.

4. I wonder … … …to make it. a. how long it did take b. how long did it take


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c. how long it took d. how long took

5. Here you are at last! … … …for you for 35 minutes. a. I have been waiting b. I have waited c. I had been waiting d. I waited

6. He … … …to me about his future plans over a year ago. a. has spoken b. had last spoken c. last spoke d. recently spoke

7. The parties … … …agreement last week if they had had more time. a. must reach b. could reach c. could have reached d. might reach

8. I am sorry I haven’t given you a ring, I … … …too busy over the past week. a. was b. have been c. had been d. am

9. It is high time … … …where to go this summer. a. you will decide b. you decided c. you should decide d. for deciding

10. If you … … …decide very soon, you will end up staying at home. a. won’t b. don’t c. wouldn’t d. aren’t to

11. It’s a pity you didn’t come to England. As you … … …there before, you would have enjoyed every minute of the trip. a. weren’t b. haven’t been c. hadn’t been d. had been

12. I … … …her something confidential, but I changed my mind. a. was to tell b. wanted to say c. was going to tell d. was going to say

13. … … …half of the villa had burnt down. a. By the time the firemen arrived


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b. By the time the firemen had arrived c. When the firemen arrived d. When the firemen had arrived

14. When you … … …him again you will surely notice the difference in his appearance. a. see b. will see c. are going to see d. are seeing

15. He said he … … …to go to the theatre as he had seen Hamlet three times. a. didn’t want b. doesn’t want c. wouldn’t d. won’t

16. I … … …that my teeth are in a bad state. a. told b. am said c. have been told d. have been said

17. I … … …it was a good idea, but now it is too late. a. wouldn’t think b. think hardly c. don’t think d. mustn’t think

18. I wonder what the problem is. The guests … … …come about seven. a. should b. ought to c. should have d. ought to have to

19. Your hair is very untidy. You … … …. a. can have it cut. b. need have it cut. c. should have it cut d. need cutting.

20. I wish John … … …drink so much at every party. a. did not b. does not c. would not d. not to

C. Communication theories. 1. Write an essay explaining the general pattern of communication and the critics addressed to it. 2. Explain in an essay the resemblance and the differences between propaganda and persuasion. 3. Write on two columns the arguments for and against mass culture. 4. Explain in no more than 100 words the special features of a media institution.


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5. Give the definitions of magazines and newspapers and explain the concepts. 6. Try to give definitions of radio and television and sustain your opinion about these media. 7. Try to find interesting data and write down a brief history of one of the media. 8. Discuss in one page the ethics of media. D. Vocabulary practice. D1. Translate into English: 1. Profesiile necesită o pregătire specială. Meseriile necesită muncă manuală calificată. 2. Zidarii, zugravii, geamgii, dulgherii, electricienii, instalatorii şi tâmplarii lucrează cu toţii să

construiască o casă. 3. Economiştii sunt specializaţi în management, marketing, comerţ, finanţe sau contabilitate. 4. La aceste birouri sunt angajaţi funcţionari, dactilografe şi secretare. 5. Avocatul apărării s-a întâlnit cu avocatul acuzării şi cei doi au hotărât să ceară schimbarea

judecătorului. 6. Regizorul, actorii şi actriţele au făcut grevă pentru că nu erau plătiţi suficient. 7. Mecanicul de locomotivă s-a plâns şoferului de taxi că are o muncă foarte grea. 8. Ţesătoarea a dus pânza croitoresei care a făcut o rochie frumoasă şi apoi s-a întâlnit cu

pălărierul pentru ca acesta să facă o pălărie potrivită. D2. Translate into English: Puţine întreprinderi au ca scop comunicarea. Majoritatea întreprinderilor au un alt scop: de a vinde un produs sau serviciu, de a satisface o nevoie socială, de a realiza planuri sau de a duce unele politici. Şi totuşi, pentru a face toate acestea, întreprinderile consumă enorm de mult timp, energie şi bani comunicând. Oamenii din întreprinderi comunică în multe feluri: de la om la om, discuţii în doi, în grupuri neofociale, în şedinţe, oral, la telefon, în scris, cu ajutorul calculatoarelor sau terminalelor, prin scrisori şi rapoarte. Toate aceste metode alcătuiesc aşa-zisa comunicare verbală. D3. Translate into Romanian and comment upon the following text: Business writing is a craft, not an art form. Like carpentry and knitting, it can be learnt even by those of us who have no particular artistic skill. As a craft, it has a heavy reliance on formulas, a wide use of graphics, and an intense awareness of purpose and audience. These formulas make the business writer more organised and the information conveyed more easily accessible to the reader. They also help speed possible, the writer won’t wait for inspiration, we’ll have a formula at hand for any information to be transmitted. D4. Explain the differences between the following verbs: - to declare and to pronounce; - to affirm and to allege; - to explain and to elucidate; - to notice and to perceive.


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Documents

Engleza Intermediari.pdf